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Danish Prime Minister Matt Fredericksen will visit Greenland next week and meet with newly appointed island leader Jens-Frederick Nielsen, after US Vice President JD Vans claims Denmark neglects autonomous territory.
The Danish authorities pushed on Saturday against US criticism, saying America neglected Greenland’s security by significantly reducing its military presence in the Arctic.
Lars Lockke Rasmussen, Denmark’s foreign minister, responded to An imposing visit by the US Vice President At the US military base in Greenland on Friday, saying that Copenhagen is “open to criticism”, but “we do not appreciate the tone in which it is delivered – this is not talking to your close allies.”
He added: “In 1945, the United States had 17 bases and military installations in Greenland with thousands of soldiers. Only one American base remains today. . . And something like 200 soldiers. We can do more, much more, within we have today. . . Let’s do it together. “
Donald Trump’s public desire to take over Greenland from Denmark has set the future of the Arctic Island and its 57,000 people in The geopolitical center of attention.
Vance, along with US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, visited the Piphufik space base and accused Denmark of not doing “a good job from the people of Greenland”.
Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark, but most of its population eventually wants independence from Copenhagen.
Danish authorities, who have discovered a $ 2 billion defense package, after admitting that they did not invest enough in the island’s security, initially took a cautious approach to Trump’s expansionist claims. But in the past week they have grown safer.
Rasmussen said Vance also acknowledged that the United States had not invested enough in the Arctic. “It’s a fact, we all picked the peace dividend. We all acted that the Arctic was and should be an area with a low tightening. But that time ended. The status quo is not an option,” he said.
Trump claims the United States has been behind Russia and China in areas such as ice, as its two biggest geopolitical rivals are preparing to melt the ice in the far north.
But Danish and Greenland officials are horrified by his rhetoric that we must “have” Greenland, refusing to exclude military force.
On Friday, Vans said he did not think “military force would ever be necessary”, partly because he expected the Grandendan to choose independence from Denmark and then closer partnership with the United States. The vice president added that there were threats from China and Russia to Greenland, but experts said the only public threat came from the United States.
Denmark sent troops to fight with US troops in Afghanistan and Iraq and its officials were disappointed with criticism from their closest security ally. But they were also facilitated that Wans did not escalate things. “I thought it would have been worse,” one said.
Fredericksen said Vance’s criticism was not a “fair way to refer to Denmark”, which she called a “good and strong ally” to the United States.
According to a wide 1951 defense agreement, the United States is allowed to set military bases across Greenland until Denmark’s sovereignty relies on.
Greenland and Danish authorities have said they have proposed several times in recent years to increase their military impression, but America has reduced its presence instead.
Greenland discovered a new, broad government coalition on Friday. Nielsen criticized Vans for lack of respect by announcing his uninvited visit as talks on government formation were still taking place. A large number of Danish ministers said they would visit it soon, now that a new government was formed.
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