Tuesday, 02 January 2024 12:17 GMT

European Leaders Urge Trump to Respect Denmark's Greenland Claim


(MENAFN) Seven European heads of state have released a unified declaration affirming Denmark's sovereignty over Greenland and urging the United States to honor NATO commitments to territorial boundaries.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly voiced his ambition to acquire the self-governing Danish territory, particularly following Washington's weekend operation in Venezuela that resulted in President Nicolas Maduro's detention. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen emphasized that Trump must be taken "seriously when he says he wants Greenland."

Tuesday's declaration—co-signed by Frederiksen, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and the heads of government from Italy, Spain, and Poland—asserts that "Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland."

Trump has consistently argued that American control over the mineral-abundant Arctic island is necessary due to its geopolitical positioning. He has questioned Copenhagen's ability to defend Greenland adequately, pointing to Russian and Chinese maritime operations nearby. Moscow has stated it has never threatened anyone in the Arctic.

The European signatories describe the Arctic as a critical priority, pledging they are "stepping up" to keep it "safe and to deter adversaries."

Notably absent from the document is any explicit criticism of Washington's territorial aspirations. Instead, it characterizes the US as an "essential partner" in maintaining "security in the Arctic," while requesting Washington "uphold the principles of the UN charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders."

The EU responded with similar restraint following Saturday's American military action against oil-wealthy Venezuela, which culminated in Maduro and his spouse being transported to New York to face drug-trafficking allegations.

The bloc's diplomatic arm released a Sunday statement that avoided either endorsing or condemning the operation, instead advocating for "calm and restraint" and adherence to UN Charter provisions.

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