The Embassy of the Republic of Iceland presents its compliments to the
The Embassy of the Republic of Iceland presents its compliments to the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China and, on
behalf of the Government of Iceland, has the honour to confirm that, in
accordance with Section XI of the Annex I of the Joint Declaration of the
Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on the Question of
Hong Kong and Article 157 of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, which stipulates
that "Consular and other official missions established in Hong Kong by
States which have formal diplomatic relations with the People's Republic
of China may be maintained", the two sides have, through friendly
consultations, reached the following agreement concerning the maintenance
by Iceland of the consular post headed by an honorary consular officer in
the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of
China following the resumption of the exercise of sovereignty over Hong
Kong by the Government of the People's Republic of China on 1 July 1997:
1. The Government of the People's Republic of China agrees to the
maintenance by the Government of Iceland of its Honorary Consulate in the
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China.
Its consular district shall be the Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region.
2. The Honorary Consular Officers shall be permanent residents of the
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China.
They shall be the citizens of either party or a third country, but not the
stateless.
3. The Government of the People's Republic of China shall, in
accordance with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 24 April
1963 and relevant laws and regulations of the People's Republic of China,
accord necessary assistance and facilities to the Honorary Consulate of
Iceland in the exercise of its functions.
4. The operation of the Honorary Consulate of Iceland in the Hong Kong
Special Administrative Region shall be regulated by the Vienna Convention
on Consular Relations of 24 April 1963. Consular matters shall be handled
on the basis of equality and mutual benefit and in a friendly and
cooperative spirit.
5. The Republic of Iceland shall not appoint any honorary consular
officers, once it has appointed career consular officers to the Hong Kong
Special Administrative Region.
If the above agreement is confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
on behalf of the Government of the People's Republic of China in a note of
reply, this Note and the reply from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall
constitute an Agreement between the two governments and shall enter into
force on 1 July 1997.
The Embassy of Iceland avails itself of this opportunity to renew to
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic China the
assurances of its highest consideration.
Beijing, 6 December 1996
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
of the People's Republic of China
Beijing
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