Rubio heads to Iceland – aims to boost presence in the Arctic

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is travelling to Iceland on Monday with the aim of increasing the country’s economic and military presence in the Arctic.

Rubio is set to meet officials in Reykjavik to “discuss cooperation on economic and security matters”, according to a press release from the US State Department.

Before his departure, Rubio described Iceland as a “good friend of the US” and the visit as the result of several discussions with NATO allies.

The visit comes two weeks after the US, Denmark and Greenland signed an agreement in New York. Among other things, the agreement stipulates that the US is to build two “very large” military bases in Greenland.

^{Cover image: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to journalists before departing for Iceland. Photo: Mark Schiefelbein /AP/TT}