E-Paper
European nations hit back at Trump's Greenland plan in joint statement: ‘Arctic security is…'
Major European nations defend Greenland's sovereignty against Trump's renewed interest in controlling the Arctic island.
Major European nations have issued a joint statement defending Greenland's sovereignty. The European nations are rejecting the renewed interest of President Donald Trump in controlling the Arctic island and ambitions of acquiring the territory.
European leaders said they would uphold international law and NATO co-operation while maintaining that Greenland “belongs to its people.”
Read more: Greenland, Denmark urge quick talks with US after renewed claims on island
Joint European statement and its message
The European heads of state reaffirmed that Greenland is a self-governing territory of the Kingdom of Denmark and must decide its own political future free from external pressure.
“Greenland belongs to its people. "It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland,” the statement read.
The states emphasize that Arctic security is a shared priority for transatlantic allies. They stressed that security in the region must be pursued within the framework of NATO cooperation.
The statement reads, “Security in the Arctic must therefore be achieved collectively, in conjunction with NATO allies including the United States, by upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders.”
Read more: ‘Everything stops, including NATO’: Danish PM's warning to Trump over Greenland
Tensions with the United States
Stephen Miller, Trump's deputy chief of staff for policy, stated that Washington's "formal position ... that Greenland should be part of the US" in an interview with CNN.
Miller is largely regarded as the mastermind behind a number of Trump's policies, guiding the president toward his strict domestic agenda and immigration position.
Miller questioned Denmark's control over Greenland and says, “The real question is what right does Denmark have to assert control over Greenland? What is the basis of their territorial claim? What is their basis of having Greenland as a colony of Denmark?”
Miller added that the US is the “power of NATO. For the US to secure the Arctic region, to protect and defend NATO and NATO interests, obviously, Greenland should be part of the US.”
His remarks came after the US president reiterated his demand that Washington take control of the strategically important, mineral-rich Arctic island following the military operation in Venezuela over the weekend that led to Nicolás Maduro's detention.
