Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland‘s official visit to India
The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland, Mr. Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson, is on an official visit to India where he arrived on 7 December on the first direct flight between the two countries. During his visit he has met with Mrs. Sushma Swaraj, Minister of External Affairs of India, Mr. KJ Alphons, Minister of State for Tourism and Mr. Raj Kumar Singh, Minister of State for Power, New & Renewable Energy.
The meetings reflected the long-standing good bilateral relations between Iceland and India. The Ministers declared their intent on increasing trade and working towards finalizing the free trade agreement between India and the European Free Trade Association, of which Iceland is a member. There are opportunities for increased cooperation for sustainable fisheries and food processing as well as in the field of geothermal energy, which can accelerate energy transformation and the fulfilment of commitments under the Paris Agreement.
Recently, Iceland has become a more popular destination for Indian tourists and a direct flight will facilitate further growth in this area. Increased interest in Iceland comes not least from Indian films and videos that have been shot in Iceland over the last few years, the largest production having been the music video for the title song “Gerua“ of the much popular film “Dilwale“ with over 200 million views on Youtube so far.
Minister Thordarson was joined by a business delegation of around fifty Icelandic business representatives. On this occasion, Promote Iceland in cooperation with WOW air, the Indo-Icelandic Business Association, the Icelandic-Indian Chamber of Commerce and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Iceland, organized a business seminar focusing on tourism, Icelandic food and innovation.
Further information:
Keynote Address of the Minister for Foreign Affairs at the India-Iceland Business Seminar.
The Gerua video shot in Iceland, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Kajul, has received over 200 million views on Youtube and put Iceland on the map as a travel destination among Indians:
