Mette Frederiksen, photo: Ida Marie Odgaard / AFP / Profimedia Images
The leaders of Denmark, Greenland, the islands of Faroe, Iceland and Norway will meet on Monday to discuss the Arctic Security, the Danish government announced, in the context of US President Donald Trump seeking to take control of Greenland, AFP reports.
“Even if our countries meet in different parts of the world, it is natural for us, in this circle, to meet to discuss the current security situation in the Arctic and Northern Atlantic,” said Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, quoted in a press release published on Sunday.
The Monday meeting will take place in Torshavn, the capital of the Faroe islands, in the presence of Mette Frederiksen, of the Prime Minister of Greenland, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, of the Icelandic Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir and of Prime Minister Aksel Johannesen. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store will participate through video conference.
US President Donald Trump has said several times that he wants to take control of Greenland, rich in resources and strategically located, invoking security reasons and refusing to exclude the resort to force.
These statements have aroused concern in other regions of the Arctic, especially in Iceland and in the Norwegian Archipelago. They also caused strong tensions with Danish and Greenland leaders, who insisted that the Arctic territory will decide their future alone and that the United States “will not obtain Greenland.”
New plans at Washington
On May 9, the Reuters agency reported that American officials are discussing a plan to attract Greenland in the American area of influence using a type of agreement that the US used to maintain close links with several Pacific island states.
According to the plan, the Trump administration would propose to Greenland leaders to enter into a free association agreement with the United States.
COFA type agreements – which have been used for three states in Oceania: Micronesia, Marshall and Palau – varies from country to country, but the standard is for the US government to provide many of the essential services, from the delivery of the post to the management of emergency and military protection. In contrast, the US army acts unstring in the Topa countries, and trade with the United States is close to customs duties.
The COFA agreements so far have been signed with independent countries, and Greenland should separate from Denmark for such a plan to be applied. Although polls show that Greenlands are interested in independence, they do not want to be part of the US. A trick, through which a significant part of autonomy would be given to Washington, could be viewed with similar skepticism.
The already existing custom understandings are considered in the political sphere in the United States as having an important role in counteracting China's growing influence in Asia Pacific.
The Danish leaders were not approached about the Cofa project and there were no substantial discussions with the White House regarding the future status of Greenland, a European official said.
