President Nielsen welcomes security talks while rejecting Trump’s annexation rhetoric.

On Thursday, Greenland President Jens-Frederik Nielsen said his country is open to allowing a greater military presence.

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“We want to strengthen security in the Arctic through major initiatives, including a more permanent NATO mission in Greenland and a larger military presence and more maneuvers,” Nielsen said at a news conference for international media in Nuuk.

Nielsen said he does not know the specific content of an agreement on Greenland that the United States is working on with NATO and indicated he is willing to discuss “many things,” as long as it is done with “mutual respect” and without crossing the red lines of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“As I understand it, yesterday’s discussions were about the shared goal of doing more on security. And on that we agree,” Nielsen said, confirming that representatives from Greenland and Denmark laid out his country’s “red lines” during a conversation with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.

The Greenlandic leader declined to take a position on the possible inclusion of the island in the U.S. missile defense system known as the “Golden Dome,” though he clarified that there had been no discussion of minerals or other subsurface resources on the island.

“Above all, only Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark can reach agreements on Greenland,” Nielsen said, expressing satisfaction that U.S. President Donald Trump ruled out the use of military force to take control of Greenland.

“Until yesterday, we could not rule anything out,” the Greenlandic president said. He described the annexation rhetoric used by Washington as “unacceptable” and emphasized that he seeks “respectful dialogue through diplomacy and normal channels.”

“Greenland favors the Greenland we know today, as part of the Kingdom of Denmark. We have developed our society, democracy and country over many years within the framework of the Kingdom and NATO. And we have achieved self-government and the right to self-determination,” he said.

Earlier, Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Motzfeldt said she had spoken the previous day with Rutte after his meeting with Trump in Davos and reiterated that no agreement on the island has yet been finalized.

“I want to emphasize that NATO has not negotiated on behalf of Greenland. No formal agreement on Greenland has been concluded without the participation of the Greenlandic government. The Danish government also had no representatives at the meeting,” Motzfeldt said.

The minister — who met Monday in Brussels with Rutte and Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen — said the NATO secretary-general had informed Trump of Greenland’s position and its red lines.

“From my perspective, the news from Davos is positive. That said, we must remain cautious, and there is no doubt that we still have work to do before we feel secure. I can confirm that we are now beginning meetings in the agreed working group,” she said.

A week ago, Motzfeldt and Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen met in Washington with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance, and they established a joint high-level working group on the Greenland issue.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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