Iceland took control of its foreign affairs in 1918 when it became a sovereign country, the Kingdom of Iceland, in a personal union with the King of Denmark. As a fully independent state, Iceland could have joined the League of Nations in 1918, but chose not to do so for cost reasons. It negotiated with Denmark to initially carry out most of its foreign relations, while maintaining full control. Denmark appointed a diplomatic envoy (Ambassador) to Iceland in 1919 and Iceland reciprocated in 1920, opening an Embassy in Copenhagen. Iceland established its own Foreign Service in April 1940 when Denmark became occupied by Nazi Germany and ties between the two countries were severed. The Republic of Iceland was founded in 1944. The Icelandic foreign service grew slowly in the post-WWII period, but increased rapidly after the mid-1990s. Iceland's closest relations are with the Nordic states, the European Union and the United States. Iceland has been a member of the United Nations since 1946. Iceland was a founding member of the World Bank in 1946 and NATO in 1949. In terms of European integration, Iceland was a founding member of the OEEC in 1948 and the Nordic Council in 1952, it joined EFTA in 1970, was a founding member of the CSCE in 1973 and the EEA in 1992 and joined Schengen in 1996.
Vigdís Finnbogadóttir is an Icelandic politician who served as the fourth president of Iceland from 1980 to 1996. She was the world's first woman who was democratically elected as president. With a presidency of exactly sixteen years, she also remains longest-serving elected female head of state of any country to date. Currently, she is a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, and a member of the Club of Madrid. She is also to-date Iceland's only female president.
A legation was a diplomatic representative office of lower rank than an embassy. Where an embassy was headed by an ambassador, a legation was headed by a minister. Ambassadors outranked ministers and had precedence at official events. Legations were originally the most common form of diplomatic mission, but they fell out of favor after World War II and were upgraded to embassies.
House of Sweden is a building in Washington, D.C., in which is located the Embassy of Sweden and the diplomatic missions of the Republics of Iceland and Liechtenstein to the United States. The building is located at 2900 K Street N.W. in the Georgetown neighborhood.
Lincoln MacVeagh was a United States soldier, diplomat, businessman, and archaeologist. He served a long career as the United States ambassador to several countries during difficult times.
The United States has maintained diplomatic relations with Iceland since the mid-1800s.
The Embassy of Iceland in London is the diplomatic mission of Iceland in the United Kingdom. It occupies a large, modern building designed by Danish architect Arne Jacobsen which it shares with the Embassy of Denmark, completed in 1977. There has been an Icelandic embassy in the UK since 1940.
This is a list of ambassadors of Iceland.
The Embassy of the United Kingdom in Reykjavík is the chief diplomatic mission of the United Kingdom in Iceland. The Embassy is located on Laufásvegur street in the Miðborg district of the city. Since the 1990s, the building has been shared with the German Embassy. The current British Ambassador to Iceland is Bryony Mathew.
Bergdís Ellertsdóttir is the current ambassador of Iceland to the United States. She was a permanent representative of Iceland to the United Nations 2018–2019. Since 1991, when she joined Iceland's Ministry for Foreign Affairs, she has enjoyed a colourful diplomatic career with assignments covering NATO, EFTA, and the European Union. She has also served as Iceland's ambassador to Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland and San Marino. From 1 July 2019, she will be Iceland's ambassador to the United States.
The Embassy of Germany in Reykjavík is the diplomatic mission of Germany in the Iceland. The Embassy is located on Laufásvegur street in the Miðborg district of the city. Since the 1990s, the building has been shared with the British Embassy. The current German Ambassador to Iceland is Dietrich Becker.
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