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<title>CANADA TO OPEN EMBASSY IN REYKJAVIK, ICELAND</title>
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<p><font face="Arial"></font><font face="Arial" size="+1"><strong></strong></font><font face="Arial" size="+1"><strong></strong></font><font face="Arial" size="+1"><strong>August 7, 2000 (3:15 p.m. EDT) No. 193</strong></font></p>
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Arial" size="+1"><strong>CANADA TO OPEN EMBASSY IN REYKJAVIK, ICELAND</strong></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial"></font><font face="Arial">Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy today announced that Canada will open a new Embassy in Reykjavik,
Iceland. Minister Axworthy made the announcement at the Icelandic Festival in Gimli, Manitoba, where he and
Icelandic President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson are special guests. President Grimsson's visit is part of a series of
events taking place across Canada this year in celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the arrival of (Icelandic)
Vikings in what is now L'Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland, and the 125th anniversary of Icelandic settlement
in what is now Gimli, Manitoba. </font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">"A shared concern for human development and the environment has led Canada and Iceland to co-operate and
support each other in regional and international organizations," said Mr. Axworthy. "The opening of this new
embassy, which is expected by late spring 2001, comes at a time when trade and tourism between our two
nations are flourishing. The mission will further enhance the close bilateral ties that we already share with
Iceland, which are bolstered by the presence in our country of over 70 000 Canadians of Icelandic descent."</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">As northern neighbours, the two countries are leaders in environmental issues, fisheries management, and
sustainable development. As a transatlantic neighbour equally committed to building a strong and engaged
North, Iceland is an important partner in advancing the Northern Dimension of Canada's Foreign Policy, which
was released on June 8, 2000.</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">President Grimsson is making his first State Visit to Canada at the invitation of Governor General Adrienne
Clarkson. The President is visiting Manitoba, British Columbia and Nova Scotia August 3-9, 2000, accompanied
by a delegation that includes Minister of the Environment and Nordic Co-operation Siv Fridleifsdottir and
Ambassador to Canada Jon Baldvin Hannibalsson. </font></p>
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Arial">- 30 -</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">For more information:</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Debora Brown</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">(613) 995-1851</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Media Relations Office</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">(613) 995-1874</font></p>
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