Danish, Greenlandic PMs to shore up European backing amid Arctic dispute with US

This week, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen will hold a series of meetings in Berlin and Paris to secure support from European countries for an agreement with the United States, Bloomberg reports.

Bloomberg reports that the “framework agreement,” developed by U.S. President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, has opened the way for negotiations. In Berlin, the leaders of Denmark and Greenland will participate in the World Economic Summit and meet with politicians and diplomats to discuss the current geopolitical situation.

On January 28, Frederiksen and Nielsen will travel to Paris for a working lunch with French President Emmanuel Macron. They plan to discuss Arctic security, as well as Greenland’s economic and social development, “which France and the European Union are ready to support,” Bloomberg reported, citing the Élysée Palace.

The Greenland agreement is expected to cover mineral extraction rights, NATO’s role on the island, and defence relations between Denmark and the United States.

Earlier, The Times reported that the agreement’s provisions include a ban on Russian and Chinese investments in the island’s economy, the creation of a NATO command center in Greenland, granting Americans access to mineral resources, and giving the U.S. an “exclusive” status.

Additionally, Reuters wrote on January 26 that the U.S. administration is still considering the option of a forceful takeover of Greenland. Greenland’s parliament deputy speaker Bentiaraq Ottosen noted that, in the event of a direct threat, the question of invoking NATO’s Article 5 could be raised. Media outlets also reported that Trump was threatened with impeachment if he did not abandon plans to seize Greenland.

By Khagan Isayev