By GEIR MOULSON, Related Press
The leaders of Denmark and Greenland insisted Monday that the U.S. gained’t take over Greenland and demanded respect for his or her territorial integrity after President Donald Trump introduced the appointment of a particular envoy to Greenland.
Trump’s announcement on Sunday that Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry can be the U.S. particular envoy prompted a brand new flare-up of tensions over Washington’s curiosity within the huge, semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, a NATO ally. Denmark’s international minister stated in feedback to Danish broadcasters that he plans to summon the U.S. ambassador.
”We’ve stated it earlier than. Now, we are saying it once more. Nationwide borders and the sovereignty of states are rooted in worldwide legislation,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and her Greenlandic counterpart, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, stated in a joint assertion. “They’re basic rules. You can not annex one other nation. Not even with an argument about worldwide safety.”
“Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders and the U.S. shall not take over Greenland,” they added within the assertion, emailed by Frederiksen’s workplace. “We anticipate respect for our joint territorial integrity.”
Trump known as repeatedly throughout his presidential transition and the early months of his second time period for U.S. jurisdiction over Greenland, and has not dominated out army pressure to take management of the mineral-rich, strategically situated Arctic island. In March, Vice President JD Vance visited a distant U.S. army base in Greenland and accused Denmark of underinvesting there.
The problem progressively drifted out of the headlines, however in August, Danish officers summoned the U.S. ambassador following a report that at the very least three folks with connections to Trump had carried out covert affect operations in Greenland. Denmark is a NATO ally of the USA.
On Sunday, Trump introduced Landry’s appointment as particular envoy, saying that “Jeff understands how important Greenland is to our Nationwide Safety, and can strongly advance our Nation’s Pursuits for the Security, Safety, and Survival of our Allies, and certainly, the World.”
Landry wrote in a put up on X that “it’s an honor to serve you on this volunteer place to make Greenland part of the U.S.”
Danish Overseas Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen stated in a short assertion that “the appointment confirms the continued American curiosity in Greenland.”
“Nevertheless, we insist that everybody — together with the U.S. — should present respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark,” he added.
Danish broadcasters TV2 and DR reported that in feedback from the Faroe Islands later Monday, Løkke Rasmussen stated he’ll name within the U.S. ambassador in Copenhagen, Kenneth Howery, for a gathering on the ministry.
Earlier than issuing the joint assertion with Frederiksen, Nielsen wrote on Fb that Denmark had once more woken as much as a brand new announcement from the U.S. president, nevertheless it “doesn’t change something for us at house.”
Earlier this month, the Danish Protection Intelligence Service stated in an annual report that the U.S. is utilizing its financial energy to “assert its will” and threaten army pressure in opposition to good friend and foe alike.
Denmark is a member of the European Union in addition to NATO.
Anouar El Anouni, a spokesperson for the EU’s govt Fee, advised reporters in Brussels Monday that it wasn’t for him to touch upon U.S. selections. However he underlined the bloc’s place that “preserving the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark, its sovereignty and the inviolability of its borders is crucial for the European Union.”
