New York, 24 September 2022 (TDI): Foreign Minister of Iceland, Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir met with the Foreign Minister of Portugal, João Cravinho, on the sidelines of the 77th UNGA Session.
Both the Ministers discussed the situation in Ukraine and highlighted the importance of the multilateral system at UNGA.
Great to meet once again @JoaoCravinho to discuss Ukraine and importance of coming together with partners from all over at #UNGA to reinforce the multilateral system. We also agreed to strengthen further our bilateral cooperation and trade. 🇮🇸🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/Yt9ugqXF4z
— Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir (@thordiskolbrun) September 24, 2022
Moreover, both agreed to further strengthen bilateral relations and trade and discussed ways to deal with global and regional issues.
77th UNGA Session
The 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) commenced on 13 September. Foreign Ministers of Iceland, Portugal, and other UN member states are attending United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week 2022 which started on 20 September and will end on 26 September 2022.
The theme of the high-level week is based on the understanding that the world is experiencing a pivotal period in the history of the United Nations due to numerous closely linked crises.
These crises include the COVID-19 pandemic, the conflict in Ukraine, humanitarian challenges, climate change, and growing worries about threats to the world economy.
High government officials from all over the world are participating in UNGA Session in New York to enhance collaboration in dealing with global issues.
Also Read: EU at 77th session of UNGA
Iceland and Portugal’s relations
Both the countries collaborate through European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement, which came into effect in 1994.
A Portuguese delegation attended many strategic meetings in Iceland to advance the bilateral connections between Portuguese and Icelandic entities protected by the EEA Grants in 2019.
From $34.2M in 1995 to $84.9M in 2020, Iceland’s exports to Portugal have grown at an annualized rate of 3.71% during the past 25 years.
Moreover, from $15.1M in 1995 to $19.4M in 2020, Portugal’s exports to Iceland grew at a yearly rate of 1.01%. Both states are further strengthening relations and trade agreements.
