Estonian MEP Paet: Iceland is welcome to join EU

TALLINN - Urmas Paet, vice-chairman of the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee and the European Parliament's rapporteur for the Arctic region, met with Iceland's new Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir in Reykjavik.

According to Paet, former longtime foreign minister of Estonia, it is possible that Iceland will return to the negotiations for joining the European Union, which were suspended in 2009.

"The majority of Iceland's new government coalition strongly supports Iceland's EU membership," Paet said in a press release. "We discussed the rapidly changing international situation and the additional stability that EU membership would give to Iceland, as well as to Norway and Greenland," he said.

Paet said these countries and regions are very welcome in the EU.

"Iceland plans to hold a referendum within two years on whether to continue accession talks with the EU, which were suspended in 2009," the MEP said.

In addition, Paet met with Clara Ganslandt, head of the EU Delegation to Iceland, and Danish Ambassador Erik Vilstrup Lorenzen. He also met with some members of Iceland's new parliament.