Naalakkersuisoq for foreign affairs, Vivian Motzfeldt (S) calls for calm and states that NATO has not negotiated or acted alone on behalf of Greenland without Greenlandic participation.
This appears from a press release following meetings with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels and subsequent dialogue in connection with the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Donald Trump has proclaimed on Wednesday evening that a framework agreement has been reached for Greenland that everyone can live with, after holding a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. It happened after the president has repeatedly expressed his wish for control of Greenland.
After Mark Rutte's meeting with Donald Trump, Naalakkersuisoq for foreign affairs had a telephone conversation with Mark Rutte.
- I would like to emphasize that NATO has not negotiated on behalf of Greenland. No formal agreement has been concluded on Greenland without the participation of Naalakkersuisut. The Danish government did not have representatives at the meeting either, says Vivian Motzfeldt.
It is also clarified that Naalakkersuisut has not requested NATO's Secretary General to negotiate on Greenland's behalf. According to the announcement, Mark Rutte alone has relayed Greenland's position and red lines directly to President Trump.
Working group is initiated
On Monday 19 January, Greenland and Denmark met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels. Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen participated here, and according to the announcement, the parties made it clear where Greenland's and Denmark's red lines go. They include the Kingdom's sovereignty, territorial integrity and the Greenlandic people's right to self-determination.
Naalakkersuisut states that Greenland and Denmark see a need for an increased NATO presence in the Arctic and want to cooperate in preventing opponents of the Western alliance from gaining influence in Greenland.
- From my perspective, it is positive news from Davos. With that said, we still have to take our reservations, and there is no doubt that we have some work ahead of us before we can know for sure, says Vivian Motzfeldt.
At the same time, she confirms that the work in the reduced working group is now underway.
