Hungary considers Greenland a bilateral issue between Denmark and the US, in which the EU should not get involved

The future of Greenland is not a problem of the European Union and Hungary has already signaled that it will not support a joint declaration on this subject at the EU level, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Monday, according to Reuters and EFE agencies, quoted by Agerpres.

“We consider it a bilateral issue (between Denmark and the US no). It is not a Community issue. We do not consider it possible to publish a joint statement of the European Union,” Szijjarto said at a joint press conference in Prague with his Czech counterpart Petr Macinka.

The latter estimated for his part that “it is not a simple situation and it cannot be resolved with a statement or a phrase, but must be negotiated.” “A negotiation between the US, the Danes and the Greenlanders, with the help of others, will be necessary,” the Czech foreign minister added.

Earlier on Monday, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis refused in front of the media to express his solidarity with Denmark and the European countries that support it in the face of US President Donald Trump's intentions to take control of Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark.

“I can't express it (solidarity with Denmark no). Why should I? What we can say is that within NATO, the leader is the US and that these disputes are counterproductive and we have to reach an agreement,” said Andrej Babis, adding that the United States had tried “five times” in the past to buy the Arctic island of Greenland.

In the face of Trump's intention to buy or – if Denmark maintains its refusal to sell – to forcibly annex this strategically important island rich in mineral resources, including rare earths, a number of European states, including Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland, have expressed their “full solidarity” with Denmark and some have sent symbolic military contingents of only a few dozen soldiers to Greenland.

But Trump on Saturday threatened those countries with 10 percent tariffs from February 1, which would rise to 25 percent from June 1, sparking a crisis in transatlantic relations. Following this threat, Germany withdrew its 15 soldiers sent to Greenland on Sunday. Norway and the Netherlands, which each sent two troops to the Arctic island, also announced they would be withdrawn.