Minister's Vision for the Presidency

Iceland takes over the presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe at a critical time in history. It is a duty that we take seriously and approach with a sense of humility.

War has returned to Europe with Russia’s brutal invasion in Ukraine – a blatant violation of international law. It is our common duty to make sure that the fortunes of the past decades do not lead us into dangerous complacency. We must advocate for the multilateral system at every opportunity and convince the peoples of the world, that despite its flaws, it is vastly and completely superior to any other method of resolving issues and disputes between states.

The effort of every country is needed to safeguard the multilateral system and Iceland is convinced that the Council of Europe – the continent’s oldest and leading pan-European organization – has a critical role to play as the region’s guardian of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. 

Together, we must continue to ensure that our organization is fit for purpose to meet current and future challenges as well as the expectations of future generations. We look forward to welcoming the Council’s Member States to the 4th Council of Europe Summit of Heads of State and Government to “unite around our values” in Reykjavik next spring. 

Our presidency will build on openness, transparency, and inclusiveness, and we look forward to working closely with all delegations and statutory bodies to promote the vision of a strong and effective Council of Europe.

Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir,
Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland