M Riekstins: The negative result of the Icelandic referendum should not have direct influence on Iceland’s EU accession negotiations

On March 6 Iceland held a referendum on the bill of state guarantees for repayment of bank deposits of the bankrupt Icesave bank in the total amount of 3.8 billion EUR for the United Kingdom and Netherlands. Preliminary results indicate that the Icelandic people with an overwhelming majority of votes have rejected the bill.

"The negative result of the referendum should not have direct influence on Iceland’s EU accession negotiations. The accession criteria for all candidate countries are clearly defined and differing positions on bilateral issues, in their turn, should be solved in a bilateral framework," emphasized Foreign Minister of Latvia Maris Riekstins.

"Iceland has to continue its negotiations with the governments of the United Kingdom and Netherlands in order to find a common solution for the repayment of Icesave deposits. The Icelandic government has clearly reiterated several times that it will honor its international commitments,’ indicated Latvian Foreign Minister.

Website: http://www.mfa.gov.lv
Photostream: flickr.com

Press and Information Division

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