NATO chief expresses understanding for US position on Greenland

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has commented on the US administration's ambitions regarding Greenland.

He reiterated that Greenland belonged to Denmark while speaking to journalists during a press conference in Brussels, Caliber.Az reports citing Russian media.

The NATO Secretary General emphasized, however, that he understands the broader context of the matter regarding Arctic security. Responding to a journalist's question, the NATO chief stated, that "Of course, your question is about how to protect the Arctic and the far north. And it's not just Denmark [which has a special role in the region], but also Iceland, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Canada, and the United States - that is, 7 allies. The eighth country here is Russia."

The Secretary General said he believes the Alliance's role in this situation is important, noting that NATO was increasingly involved in the region. "We, the seven NATO member states, are working more and more closely together. We know what's going on there, what China is doing... We know that we don't have enough icebreakers, and this is not a trifle, it's very important," he said. 

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen has previously acknowledged the possibility of Greenland becoming independent should its residents so choose, but excluded a scenario in which it would be a US state. The Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is currently on a visit to the semi-autonomous Danish territory for talks with the new incoming government under Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen. 

By Nazrin Sadigova