“The ministry has contacted the US embassy in Iceland to verify the veracity of the alleged comments,” Iceland's diplomacy said in a statement to the press.
What explanation is Iceland asking from the US?
Who is the candidate for US ambassador to Iceland?
Why did Long apologize for his statement?
How many signatures were collected on the petition against Long's candidacy?
Politico reported on Wednesday that Long, in a speech to the US Congress, joked that Iceland would become the 52nd US stateand he will become its governor.
Long apologized for his words in a statement for Arctic Today on Thursday. He explained that they were made in a social conversation and were a reaction to jokes about the American envoy to Greenland, Jeff Landry, described by his interlocutors as the “governor of Greenland”.
The US consists of 50 states, it is unclear why Long spoke of the “52nd state”. It could be that he recognized Greenland as the 51st state, commented the website of the Icelandic public broadcaster RUV.
Iceland defends its independence. Citizens are appealing
A petition appeared on the Internet calling on Icelandic Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir not to accept Long's candidacy for ambassador. The appeal gathered over 3.5 thousand people. signatures.
A member of the Republican Party, Long was a congressman from Missouri for 12 years. After Donald Trump regained the presidency, he worked in his government and was later appointed as the new ambassador to Iceland.
The controversial statement was made at a time of increasing tension around Greenland. In recent weeks, Trump has announced several times that the US will take over this island, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark. These statements were met with strong opposition from the authorities in Greenland and Denmark.
