Jürg Stahl, President of the National Council and Unnur Brá Konráðsdóttir, Speaker of the Althing, will meet to discuss bilateral relations between Switzerland and Iceland. Mr Stahl will also meet with the members of the Icelandic EFTA/EEA Delegation, and will pay a courtesy visit to Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson, President of Iceland, and to representatives of the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
The relationship between Switzerland and Iceland, which have enjoyed diplomatic relations since 1951, is excellent. The two countries maintain bilateral relations primarily within the framework of the European Free Trade Association, EFTA and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and in the Council of Europe.
During his visit to Iceland, Mr Stahl will also meet with the president of the Icelandic Football Association, Guðni Bergsson, and the president of the National Olympic and Sports Association of Iceland, Lárus Blöndal, to discuss sports promotion. Talks will focus on the measures taken by Icelandic sports clubs, which have contributed significantly to the success of the Icelandic national teams in handball, basketball and football.
The programme also includes a visit to the construction site of the 7.2km-long Vadlaheidi tunnel in North Iceland, which will allow the main road around the island to remain open all year round. A Swiss construction company has been commissioned to carry out this challenging and ambitious infrastructure project. Mr Stahl will meet with the Swiss excavation engineer to discuss his experiences and the challenges of tunnel construction on this geographically still very young island.