Iceland: Merkel meets Icelandic PM ahead of Nordic forum

W/S German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Icelandic Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir walk up to the podium for a joint press briefing during Merkel's first visit to Iceland, Reykjavik
M/S Jakobsdottir welcomes Merkel
SOT Katrin Jakobsdottir, Icelandic Prime Minister: "Chancellor Merkel has been one of the great leaders there [in Europe] and she has been an adamant defender of the liberal democracy. At the times where we are seeing the rise of many populist movements, authoritarian populist movements, and I think this is one of the most pressing questions for us who are working in European politics."
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SOT Katrin Jakobsdottir, Icelandic Prime Minister: "You can see actually that everything scientists have predicted is happening now. And that's why I think it's so important to do everything that is humanly possible to prevent the climate crisis that we are already seeing around the world with heat waves, droughts, floods and glaciers disappearing."
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SOT Angela Merkel, German Chancellor (German): "Secondly we will talk about the big topic of climate change. Iceland has very ambitious goals, of course it has its own natural realities. Germany, too, wants to be climate neutral until 2050, ten years after Iceland."
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SOT Angela Merkel, German Chancellor (German): "Here we are in a country that, according to the gender gap report of the World Economic Forum takes the first place out of 149 countries, Germany is on the 14th position, therefore we have to catch up. Especially in our economy, but also in politics, it is the case that by no means women have reached parity."
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M/S Icelandic and German flag
M/S Jakobsdottir and Merkel leave for a dinner and bilateral talks
SCRIPT
German Chancellor Angela Merkel met with Icelandic Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir in the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik on Monday.
Merkel will be the guest of honour at the Nordic forum on Tuesday.
The two leaders discussed European politics and the rise of populism, as well as climate change and women in politics.
"You can see actually that everything scientists have predicted is happening now," said Jakobsdottir.
"That's why I think it's so important to do everything that is humanly possible to prevent the climate crisis that we are already seeing around the world with heat waves, droughts, floods and glaciers disappearing," she added.
Merkel highlighted that climate change would be a key item on the agenda at the annual meeting of Nordic leaders.
This is Merkel's first visit to Iceland, which - in her own words - she has always wanted to see due to its nature.
Jakobsdottir invited Merkel to the Prime Minister's summer residence, which is located in the Thingvellir National Park 40km (25 miles) outside of Reykjavik. Thingvellir is also the location of the oldest known western democratic parliament, which was established in 930.