Embassy News 2006
Ambassador Carol van Voorst meets with Admiral Collins and Icelandic Coast Guard Director Georg Larusson
The Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, Admiral Thomas H. Collins, visited Iceland March 28 for a meeting with Icelandic Coast Guard Director Georg Larusson, Justice Ministry Deputy Permanent Secretary Stefan Eiriksson, and other Icelandic officials to discuss prospects for closer cooperation between the two nations’ Coast Guards in training and exchanges, search & rescue and procurement.
The meeting - the third between Admiral Collins and Mr. Larusson since March 2005 – is part of the ongoing effort to improve the ability of the two allies to respond to emerging threats such as terrorism and illegal trafficking.
U.S. participants in the meeting included U.S. Ambassador to Iceland Carol van Voorst and members of the Embassy staff as well as IDF Commander Colonel Craig Croxton and 85th Group Commander Colonel Phillip Gibbons. Besides Coast Guard Director Larusson and Mr. Eiriksson, Icelandic participants included Bjarni Vestmann, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Defense Department and Ásgrímur Ásgrímsson, Head of the Maritime Surveillance Authority for the Icelandic Coast Guard.