The governments of Denmark and Greenland requested a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday to discuss recent statements by President Donald Trump and other members of his administration regarding their interest in obtaining the island for national security reasons.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio PHOTO: X / @libsoftiktok
The move was announced on Facebook by Greenland's foreign affairs adviser Vivian Motzfeldt, who spoke of a meeting “soon”.
“US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has not been able to meet with the Greenlandic government before, despite repeated requests from both this government (Greenland – no) and the Danish government for a meeting at the level of foreign ministers”Motzfeldt said.
Denmark's participation in the discussions
The Danish Foreign Minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, would also be present at the meeting. He, who met with Marco Rubio twice, stated that the request for a meeting was made on Monday, according to Agerpres.
Donald Trump's statement regarding China's omnipresence in Greenland is one of the misunderstandings that must be clarified.
“We do not share the opinion that Greenland is flooded with Chinese investment”the Danish minister said after a meeting with the parliamentary foreign affairs committee on the relationship between the Kingdom of Denmark – which includes mainland Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland – and the United States.
The US president also expressed doubts about Denmark's ability to ensure Greenland's security.
“We take care of the kingdom”Rasmussen insisted, adding that there is no need to “dramatize” the situation.
Denmark has invested heavily in Arctic security over the past 12 months, allocating around 90 billion kroner (€1.2 billion) to the cause.
Trump has repeatedly said over the past year that the United States “needs” Greenland and suggested exploring options for bringing it under US jurisdiction, statements he repeated several times in recent days following his country's military intervention in Venezuela.
The heads of government of Spain, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Poland and Denmark issued a joint statement on Tuesday stressing that Greenland “belongs to his people“ and that only Denmark and Greenland can “decide” on issues that concern both territories.
At the same time, the foreign ministers of the five Nordic countries released a statement on Tuesday defending the sovereignty of this arctic island and the inviolability of its borders.
Rubio: The US wants to buy the island
American media reported on Tuesday that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the United States is actually trying to buy Greenland and that recent remarks about the island should not be interpreted as announcing a military invasion, reports dpa.
Rubio made the comments during a closed-door conference call with US congressmen, people familiar with the discussion told the Wall Street Journal. The newspaper stated that the goal of the American administration was to buy the island.
The New York Times reported similarly, adding that US President Donald Trump had asked his advisers to come up with an updated plan to buy Greenland. Trump has already floated this idea since his first term.
The American administration has recently intensified its rhetoric regarding Greenland. On Tuesday, the White House said that the possible use of military force remains among the options being considered.
“The president and his team are discussing a number of options to pursue this important foreign policy objective, and of course the use of the U.S. military is always an option available to the commander-in-chief.”White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said.
What the special emissary of the American president in Greenland says
The special envoy of the American president in Greenland, Jeff Landry, defended the independence of the Danish autonomous territory through economic agreements with Washington on Tuesday, even though Trump insists that it become part of the United States, reports EFE.
Landry, appointed by Trump in December to make Greenland “part of the US”stated that the president offers economic opportunities to the territory, but ruled out any intention to seize it by force.
“I don't think that's what he's talking about. I think the president supports an independent Greenland with economic ties and trade opportunities for the United States.”he said in an interview with CNBC.
In the Greenlandic capital, Nuuk, Greenlanders considered Donald Trump's comments to be “unacceptable in a civilized world“, writes AFP.
“We demand respect for our country and our people. We are open to business and relationships, but only on the basis of mutual respect”pointed out Christian Keldsen, director of the Greenland Business Association.
