A delegation of American senators, visiting Greenland. “The trust that had been established since World War II has eroded”
A delegation of US senators visited Greenland on Monday, February 9, for “to rebuild trust”.
The delegation visited the American military base at Pituffik/PHOTO: EPA-EFE
“In a few sentences and a few words, the trust that had been established since World War II has been eroded and damaged, and we must work to rebuild it.“, said Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski in a press conference, writes Agerpres.
“We, the members of Congress, are here to remind you that our president can make certain statementsbut that we, in Congress, also have a role to play”she added.
The delegation, composed of Lisa Murkowski, Senator Angus King (independent) and Democrats Gary Peters and Maggie Hassan, visited the US military base at Pituffik and met with Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen.
These senators also had a scheduled meeting with Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt.
Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump said negotiations on a framework agreement on Greenland were underway and nearing completion.
Trump recently reiterated the idea that the United States should take control of Greenland to counter the influence of Russia and China, going so far as to suggest buying the island, even with the existing US military presence governed by the 1951 agreement.
Denmark and Greenland say they share Trump's concerns about security issues, but have stressed that sovereignty and territorial integrity are a “red line” in the discussions between the three parties.
He believes that current arrangements do not provide sufficient security guarantees and is seeking to renegotiate the defense agreement with Denmark to remove restrictions on American military presence.
On January 28, representatives of the US, Denmark and Greenland met to discuss a new cooperation framework aimed at strengthening the US presence in the Arctic without transferring Greenland to direct US control. Analysts point out that Washington's sudden interest cannot be explained only by strategic reasons, being influenced by internal political dynamics and Trump's personal leadership style.
