Phone call between the Foreign Ministers of Iceland and Turkey

The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland, Gudlaugur Thór Thórdarson spoke today with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, Mr. Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, regarding the arrival of the Turkish National Football Team in Keflavik International Airport on 9 June.

Minister Çavuşoğlu reiterated his disappointment in the perceived delays in processing the entry of the Turkish National Team into the country and requested explanation. Minister Thórdarson stressed that the security check followed standard procedures as outlined in the Ministry‘s official statement. He also explained that the request from the Embassy of Turkey in Oslo for fast-track security, normally not available to sports teams, had not been submitted to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in time to be processed.

„I regret that the Turkish National Football Team did not feel well received when they arrived in Iceland as we want to make every effort to make our guests feel welcome. However, everyone is equal when it comes to standard Schengen security procedures. I explained the course of events to Minister Çavuşoğlu and expressed my surprise by the Turkish authorities’ disproportional reaction. I sincerely hope that we can now focus on the reason for the Turkish team‘s visit, the Iceland vs Turkey football match, which will be exciting to watch,“ said Minister Thordarson.