PM weighs in on Jerusalem debate

Should a Faroese representation office in Israel be located in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem?

This appears to be the big question dividing Jenis av Rana, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Prime Minister Bárður á Steig Nielsen.

One of the first announcements Jenis av Rana made when he was appointed Foreign Minister was the he wanted to open a Faroese representation office in Israel. He later revealed that he would like such an office to be located in Jerusalem.

On Tuesday night, after being asked about the latest in the representation office plans, Rana said: “Once the Prime Minister has sorted out the internal turmoil in his party, he and I will sit down with the finance minister to talk about it, and I am confident that we will find a solution.”

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Yesterday, Prime Minister Bárður á Steig Nielsen hit back saying that he has always insisted that the placement of a possible representation office in Israel should not be specified anywhere.

“First of all, there is no internal turmoil in my party [Sambandsflokkurin (the Union Party)]. We have not even discussed this matter internally in the party,” he said.

“And secondly, the role of a representation office is to improve trade relations between two nations, not to interfere with domestic affairs in another country.”

The Prime Minister added that it is unfortunate when matters of such great public interest are discussed in the media and on social media before having been presented to the cabinet.

Translated by prosa.fo