SPEECHES

CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY

NOTES FOR AN ADDRESS BY

THE HONOURABLE BILL GRAHAM,

MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS,

ON THE OCCASION OF THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE

CANADIAN EMBASSY IN REYKJAVIK, ICELAND

REYKJAVIK, Iceland

May 15, 2002

It gives me great pleasure to attend the official opening of the first Canadian embassy in Iceland.

It is something of a challenge to give a speech in a country renowned for its oral tradition, however, I give you my word that my speech will not be as long as your famous Icelandic sagas.

Interestingly, it was in the Saga of Erik the Red and the Greenlanders' Saga that the first known contact between our two nations was recorded for posterity. In the year 1000 B.C., Leif Eriksson sailed to the area now known as L'Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland, and established a settlement. Eriksson named the area "Vinland" for the wild grapes that grew there--a fact that I am sure makes many Newfoundlanders today nostalgic for the Viking days.

Today, the official opening of the first Canadian embassy in Iceland marks another historic moment in our bilateral relationship. In 2001, Foreign Minister Asgrimsson inaugurated the Embassy of Iceland in Ottawa in May and in November, our first resident Canadian Ambassador to Iceland presented his credentials. It is now my great privilege and pleasure to be with you here today to inaugurate the new Canadian Embassy.

Moments like today--pivotal moments in the relationship between two countries--allow us to reflect on the history of our interactions and to look forward to our shared future of increased trade and investment, expanded bilateral and multilateral political cooperation, and a deepened understanding of our unique national characters.

A key goal for our embassy will be to identify opportunities for strategic alliances and joint ventures where Canadians and Icelanders can focus on niche markets where we both have specialized talents. For example, companies in both Canada and Iceland have been world innovators in developing hydrogen-power technology. We also know that Iceland is home to a thriving biotechnology industry with expertise in genetic research, an area in which Canada's own world-class biotechnology sector has also excelled. Clearly there is potential for expanding our trade and investment relations.

From a multilateral perspective, Iceland is a valuable partner to us in many international organizations, such as NATO, the Arctic Council, the OECD [Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development], the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization, the Council of Europe and UNESCO. We hope the embassy will help deepen the interest that Canada and Iceland share in northern and circumpolar issues. We both are already working to strengthen the Arctic Council and to promote linkages in other forums in which Arctic issues are addressed. We congratulate Iceland on its upcoming role as Chair of the Arctic Council and look forward to an active presidency.

I would like to take this opportunity to once again thank Iceland, and particularly the people of Reykjavik, for the excellent job you did in hosting the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting this week. The meetings were very useful and have opened up the way to further collaboration in this arena. Let me also emphasize that Canada is very appreciative of Iceland's support within the coalition in the fight against terrorism.

Turning to the artistic and cultural spheres, we also see that the Canada-Iceland relationship is expanding. The Millennium Year celebrations and the recent Canadian tour of the Icelandic Dance Company are just two examples of fruitful cultural exchanges. We look forward to our embassy promoting more opportunities for Icelanders to become familiar with Canadian music, literature and art. Iceland is also a valued and active partner within the International Network on Cultural Policy, a Canadian initiative that examines the growing importance of cultural diversity and identity in an increasingly globalized world.

I have taken this opportunity to discuss official relations between Iceland and Canada, however relationships between nations are primarily based on relationships between people. Friends of Canada in Iceland and friends of Iceland in Canada, I urge you to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the opening of this embassy in Reykjavik and to take advantage of this reception to build more of these person-to- person relationships. It is through personal relationships that our two nations will forge closer and more dynamic ties.

I now declare the Canadian Embassy in Iceland officially open.

Thank you.