Iceland not to pursue EU accession negotiations as referendum says ´no´

Icelandic Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir said on Sunday that the current government would not pursue further talks on resuming Iceland's accession to the European Union (EU), after a Saturday referendum saw more voters against the accession negotiations, reported Xinhua.

During a press conference, she said the outcome of the election will be respected and no further accession negotiations will be entered into during the term of the ruling government.

Polling results published by Icelandic public broadcaster RUV on Sunday showed that 52.8 percent of voters opposed the negotiations, with 47.2 percent in favor. A total of 225,031 votes were cast, with the voter turnout reaching 82.5 percent, RUV reported.

The prime minister said she has exchanged messages with Antonio Costa, president of the European Council, adding that the EU is aware that there is still a desire for a continued strong relationship between Iceland and the EU.

Iceland applied for EU membership in 2009. Accession talks were suspended in 2013 after a Eurosceptic government took office. However, according to Icelandic parliamentary documents, the European Commission has maintained that the application was never formally withdrawn.

Icelandic Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir has planned to convene the Foreign Affairs Committee on Aug. 31 to discuss the "next steps". The meeting will discuss whether the membership application will be formally withdrawn, RUV reported.