The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova mocked the explanations of the Icelandic Foreign Ministry for the closure of the embassy in Moscow.
A recording of the briefing was published on the diplomatic service's website.
„Who said that? The Foreign Minister of Iceland? Is her name Berbok-2 by any chance? (...) Let me tell you the truth. "They all lied, of course," Zakharova replied, not hiding her laughter.
Icelandic Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir said that the island nation's embassy in Moscow was closed because Russia could not guarantee the security of the diplomatic mission.
At the end of July 2023, Icelandic Chargé d'Affaires Magnus Hannesson officially notified the Russian Foreign Ministry of the suspension of the embassy's activities. Hannesson himself continued to perform his duties from Reykjavik.
The embassy officially closed on August 1, 2023 due to the situation related to the conflict in Ukraine. Thus, it became the first country to make such a decision.