GolfPlus May 2018 Digital Edition (May 2018) | Page 27

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PLAYING IN
THE MIDNIGHT SUN
Q&A WITH H.E. THORIR IBSEN,
THE AMBASSADOR OF ICELAND IN INDIA
GP: Tell us about your early years?
TI: I was born in Iceland and brought
up by loving, caring and open-minded
parents. My interest in what were
beyond the island of Iceland grew early
as I met many foreign touristswhen
as child I sold newspapers downtown
during summer school vacations. Later
I worked as a sailor on cargo ships
during my high-school years sailing to
North America, the then Soviet Union
and European ports. After completing
BA degree in Political Science from
the University of Iceland, I moved to
Toronto, Canada for my graduate
studies in International Relations. There I
met my wife who also was a rover, and
we have been on the move ever since.
GP: Tell us about your journey in the
diplomatic world?
TI: I never intended to become a civil
servant, let alone a diplomat. But it
so happened that I was hired by the
Ministry for the Environment after my
studies to prepare Iceland´s report to
the Earth Summit of 1992. From that
task I went to doing policy work for the
Environment Ministry which later led
me to become environment negotiator.
My career to become a diplomat had
started, eventually bringing me into the
Foreign Service.
GP: What have been the challenges?
TI: Long travels away from my wife
and son.
GP: How do you compare
today’s challenges from those of
yesteryears?
TI: Most of my career I have been
involved in international negotiations.
These negotiations were often very
difficult, but I recall that there was
always this spirit of seeking a solution.
This was during the initial years after
the Cold War ended. I fear that
today the spirit of multilateralism and
cooperation is rapidly receding before
growing nationalism fostered by new
political leadership and autocratic even
dictatorial tendencie