At the India-Nordic Summit, both you and Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke of the importance of the word Sambandh- which means ‘relations’ in Hindi. What does it mean for you?

Sambandh is an Icelandic word in its purest form, so it was very endearing to hear PM Modi use this word too. I mean, we’ve built our prosperity based on international relations, although a lot of things we’ve done well on our own. We are a small country, we are geographically isolated in a lot of ways, and so I don’t want to belittle what Icelanders have done on their own. We’re a very proud nation, but one of our, you know, many of our biggest feats when it comes to prosperity and driving progress, have been increased international relationships throughout the history. Maybe, it has been with Europe and the U.S. thus far, but we’re also looking towards Asia, and India is obviously going to be a big part of that.

Is the emergence of the relationship between India and Nordic countries driven by concerns that the three big powers right now are seen as breaking the international rule of law?

I mean, this relationship between the Nordics and India has a longer history than what we have seen over the course of the last couple of years, so I don’t want to tie it directly to that, but I think, as a general, a lot of countries are looking outward, things are shifting, new deals are being done, you see this with the EU as well, you see it with Canada, and now with India. So there are opportunities that come out of situations like this, I think the most important message out of this summit is, you know, there’s hope for international relations. There are still large democratic countries like India that are opening up instead of closing off, and this is what the world needs to hear.

Even so, there’s a basic difference between Nordic countries and India, and that is over ties with Russia. India is the permanent observer at the Arctic Council, which doesn’t seem to be able to work right now because of the differences within. How do you see India’s role when it comes to Nordic countries, as well as its very strong relationship with Russia?

I won’t deny that India has a different relationship with Russia than the Nordics do. That has a historical chapter as well tied to it, and it’s not my intention to step directly into that. I do know, however, that Prime Minister Modi wants this war to end, and I think we’re all on that page. The way that we’re approaching it, might be a bit different, but I think we also need to be realistic towards the fact that we’re standing our ground on Ukraine. We’ve said Ukraine needs to win this war. For small Nordic countries, this is important, that people respect the rule of law, they respect borders, that we don’t set up double standards. We had the issue with Greenland come up that has, you know, touched on us in very direct ways, and we want to make sure that we don’t set a precedent in that regard. So, Prime Minister Modi knows exactly how we feel about that. That doesn’t mean that we can’t interact at other levels, but we’ve sent out clear messages on our stand on Ukraine.

India and Iceland trade relations are nascent, just about 30-40 million dollars.  Where do you see the biggest growth areas? And do you plan a visit to India?

I would love to go to India. I think that’s definitely something that we’re looking into. We should work with what we already have. We have a great relationship when it comes to renewables. We have a lot more to give on that. There’s so many growth potential for India there with its goal on 500 gigawatts renewable energy. So there’s a lot of projects that can be driven out of that. I do, however, know that we also have potential in cultural ties, we discussed the Indian film industry, for example. We have had outside film crews coming in and using Icelandic territory as backdrop. I think that would be a very interesting cooperation that we could have. And then also, just in general, when it comes to high-skilled labour. Just this weekend we had municipality elections in Iceland. I knocked on the door of an Indian couple that had come to work in the pharmaceutical sector in Iceland. So we have these stories of people coming to Iceland with their skills, becoming a part of the community in a very positive way. So there’s also development opportunities there.

On that issue, it does seem when we speak to the Indian community that their worry is that they are no longer welcome the way they used to be, as immigration becomes a bigger issue in Europe. What is the future of migration, given that Nordic countries still need a lot of labour?

I understand that. I think there’s been a big shift in attitudes to migration, especially when it comes to, I mean, I can only speak from my part of the world, where we may have been pushed into a setting where we’re focusing too much on low-skilled, low-value immigration. These are highly egalitarian countries, and I think when we go down that road of movement in class instead of high-skilled, productive, high-wage labour, we get these confrontations. I don’t see that as an issue when it comes to Indian migration. These are usually people coming in with high levels of education, going into productive jobs, so it’s also a matter of how you frame it, but this is a responsibility of the government as well. What type of industries are you pushing forward? What type of employment environment are you pushing forward? Not a race to the bottom, but a race to the top, and using the skilled labour to grow further.

Copenhagen:

A volcano in southwestern Iceland erupted on Thursday, the meteorological office said, spraying red-hot lava and smoke in its sixth outbreak since December.

“An eruption has begun. Work is under way to find out the location of the recordings,” the meteorological office said in a statement without providing further detail.

Livestreams from the area showed glowing hot lava shooting up from the ground.

Studies had shown magma accumulating underground, prompting warnings of new volcanic activity in the area located just south of Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik.

The most recent eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula, home to some 30,000 people or nearly 8% of the country’s total population, ended on June 22 after spewing fountains of molten rock for 24 days.

The eruptions show the challenge faced by the island nation of nearly 400,000 people as scientists warn that the Reykjanes peninsula could face repeated outbreaks for decades or even centuries.

Since 2021, there have been nine eruptions on the peninsula, following the reactivation of geological systems that had been dormant for 800 years.

In response, authorities have constructed man-made barriers to redirect lava flows away from critical infrastructure, including the Svartsengi geothermal power plant, the Blue Lagoon outdoor spa and the town of Grindavik.

Flights were unaffected, Reykjavik’s Keflavik Airport said on its web page

Grindavik, home to one of Iceland’s key fishing ports and nearly 4,000 people, has been largely abandoned since late last year when residents were first ordered to evacuate.

Volcanic outbreaks in the Reykjanes peninsula are so-called fissure eruptions, which do not usually disrupt air traffic as they do not cause large explosions or significant dispersal of ash into the stratosphere.

Iceland, which is roughly the size of the U.S. state of Kentucky, boasts more than 30 active volcanoes, making the north European island a prime destination for volcano tourism – a niche segment that attracts thrill seekers.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The colours white, blue and red in the Icelandic flag represent the snow, ocean, and volcanoes.

Q: June 17 marks the end of Iceland’s centuries old ties with which country.

A: Denmark

Q:  What is the Capital of Iceland and what distinction does it hold as regards its location?

A:  Reykjavík. It is the most northerly capital in the world.

Q: Name the Icelandic parliament which is one of oldest surviving parliaments in the world, having been founded in 930 at Pingvellir (‘assembly fields’) and situated approximately 45 kilometres close to its modern capital.

A: Alþingi (anglicised as Althingi or Althing).

Q: Name the Icelandic saga that is considered one of the greatest prose works of medieval literature?

A: Saga of the Volsungs.

Q: The ‘Hakarl’, an Icelandic national dish, is made using the rotten meat of which marine animal that has been cured with a fermentation process and hung to dry in an open air shed.

A: Greenland shark or basking shark

Q: Which late American sporting legend, who won the World championship in his sport at Reykjavik in 1972 but became a recluse, was granted an Icelandic citizenship in 2005?

A: Chess geniius Bobby Fischer.

Reykjavik:

Businesswoman Halla Tomasdottir was on Sunday declared the winner of Iceland’s presidential election, final results showed, beating former prime minister Katrin Jakobsdottir whom critics said was too political for the post.

Jakobsdottir conceded defeat early on Sunday and congratulated Tomasdottir, the CEO of The B Team, a global non-profit co-founded by UK business tycoon Richard Branson to promote business practices focused on humanity and the climate.

Iceland’s president holds a largely ceremonial position in the parliamentary republic, acting as a guarantor of the constitution and national unity.

He or she does however have the power to veto legislation or submit it to a referendum.

Tomasdottir, 55, won 34.3 percent of votes, ahead of 48-year-old Jakobsdottir, who garnered 25.5 percent after stepping down as prime minister of a left-right government in April to run in Saturday’s election.

Tomasdottir, who came second in an earlier bid for the presidency in 2016, received much broader support than opinion polls had suggested in the run-up to this year’s vote, spurting in the final days of the campaign after running neck-and-neck with Jakobsdottir.

Jakobsdottir conceded defeat already in the early hours of Sunday, before the last votes were counted.

“It seems to me that Halla Tomasdottir is quickly heading towards becoming the next president of Iceland. 

“I congratulate her on that and know that she will be a good president,” Jakobsdottir told national broadcaster RUV at an election night rally.

Second woman president

Tomasdottir was to make a televised address to the nation later on Sunday. During her election rally in the early hours of Sunday, she told daily Morgunbladid was “just trying to breathe”.

“I feel incredibly good. I know it’s not over until it’s over. So I’m also just trying to stay calm and breathe,” she said.

Tomasdottir is also the founder of Audur Capital, an investment firm created in 2007 aimed at promoting feminine values in the financial sector.

No one central issue dominated the campaign, where candidates traditionally run as independents without party affiliations.

In the country of 380,000 people, any citizen gathering 1,500 signatures can run for office.

While Jakobsdottir was at times seen as the favourite, political observers had suggested that her background as prime minister could weigh against her.

Among the other main candidates in the field of 13 were a political science professor, a comedian, and an Arctic and energy scholar.

Tomasdottir is set to be the second woman to serve as Iceland’s president. 

In 1980, Vigdis Finnbogadottir became the world’s first woman democratically elected as head of state.

Tomasdottir will take over the position on August 1, succeeding the hugely popular Gudni Johannesson, who has held the job since 2016.

He announced earlier this year that he would not seek re-election.

Jakobsdottir, party leader for the Left Green Movement from 2013 until her presidential bid, has been hailed for her handling of the resurgence in volcanic eruptions on the Reykjanes peninsula since December.

The five eruptions, including one last week, have sparked a series of evacuations as well as the state’s acquisition of homes from residents evacuated from the threatened fishing town of Grindavik.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)