Greenland Demands a Seat at the Table in Nordic Defense Cooperation
Greenland must be at the table when the Nordic countries discuss defense policy.
This is the message from the chairman of the Greenlandic government, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, when the Nordic heads of state and government gathered for an annual summer meeting on Thursday.
“We know that we must make a greater effort together with our allies in relation to the defense of our region, surveillance, and building capabilities. We must be at the table there, and we will,” he says in an interview with KNR.
The statement from the chairman came ahead of the Nordic heads of government’s discussions on, among other things, closer defense cooperation.
The heads of government gathered at Marienborg, with the Danish prime minister and the Faroese premier as hosts.
“Military armament is unfortunately the new normal in the world order we live in now. It is not a situation we have been used to. People have been talking about low tension for all these years. It no longer exists.”
“We must contribute more, and we are ready to do so. But it must also be something that benefits the Greenlandic population,” says Jens-Frederik Nielsen ahead of the discussions.
Denmark and the Faroe Islands hold the presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers this year.
Greenland is not participating in the presidency after the Greenlandic government partially boycotted the Nordic Council.
This comes after Greenland has been kept out of several meetings on security policy in particular.
“Greenland would very much like to be part of the Nordic Council, but it must be on equal terms with the other nations. These are also some discussions we need to have here now,” says Jens-Frederik Nielsen.
Wants to Be Equal
The Danish government shares the Greenlandic and Faroese desire for full and equal participation.
In March, the Nordic countries agreed to set up a commission to make a proposal to make Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and Åland equal members of the Nordic Council and Council of Ministers.
This can only be done by revising the Helsinki Agreement, which sets the framework for the work of the Nordic Council and Council of Ministers.
The Nordic Council consists of Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Iceland, as well as Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and Åland.
“The most important thing right now is that there is a political consensus that we want to give equal status to all parties in the Nordic Council,” Nielsen says.
“We want to participate in our own name. We want to be equal, and there should not be an A and a B team if we are to participate. That position has not changed.”
Both Jens-Frederik Nielsen and the Faroese premier, Beinir Johannesen, emphasized to the media outlet Ritzau that full membership is also a matter of principle.
When asked what specifically the countries can do that they cannot in Nordic cooperation now, Beinir Johannesen replied:
“It is that we can formally be on an equal footing with everyone else and participate like everyone else in the things that the Nordic Council and Nordic cooperation entail. We are also ready to take on the responsibility that this entails,” the premier told Ritzau.
No Finish Line Yet
At the same time, the security situation around Greenland has become significantly more serious.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that Greenland should be part of the US.
In January, a high-level working group was established between Greenland, Denmark, and the US to try to find a solution.
It has been eight months since the working group was set up. Can you reveal the status of the negotiations?
“The dialogue is ongoing. There will be another meeting in the working group soon. We do not see a finish line yet, but we are very committed to finding solutions. Therefore, of course, we are awaiting the next meeting.”
“But the finish line is not there, so we must be ready to take those conversations and the dialogue,” says Jens-Frederik Nielsen, adding that he cannot say anything concrete about the negotiations.
Do you expect, as the Danish foreign minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, said in June, that there will be a solution to the negotiations before the end of the year?
“We have to find the solutions, and for now the dialogue is ongoing. We cannot see the finish line yet, but we are deeply committed to finding the solutions that allow us, as equal partners and happy allies, as we have been for many, many years, to look forward,” says the chairman.
Source: KNR (in Danish)