« Everything at this visit was inappropriate »
« This has all been inappropriate. Everything at this visit was inappropriate in my opinion. At a time that is sensitive in Greenland, but it had not been formed. »
This is stated by Minister of Foreign Affairs Thorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir and refers to the visit of JD Vance President of the United States to Greenland.
Amended for security reasons
The visit was originally said to be a « cultural tour » wife of Vance, UShu, where she was to follow a dog sled.
On the other hand, the visit was changed for security reasons for the proposed protest.
The couple spent only a few hours in Greenland and visited only the Pituffik space station and a missile defense station about 1,500 kilometers from the capital Nuuk, along with other US officials.
Thorgerður Katrín put some well -chosen words on social media X on the occasion of the visit.
Calls for mutual respect and cooperation
« Denmark and Greenland are in the Nordic family. Like Iceland and other Nordic countries, the entire state of Denmark is a part of NATO, where the Allies work firmly together to strengthen security in the Arctic. Mutual respect and co -operation of allies is the only way forward, » Thorgerður wrote.
She says in a conversation with mbl.is that the Nordic countries are simply showing solidarity with Greenland and Denmark and emphasizes that it is a strong united group based on the basic values of nations’ sovereignty, to respect borders and international law.
« Both are active and respected. It does not mean to emphasize this, » says the minister.
« We are trying to talk so that there will still be doors open to do what friends do. Sit down and solve the issues. We have done so successfully for more than 75 years since NATO was founded. »
JD Vance Vice President of the United States says Pituffik Space Station in Greenland yesterday.
AFP/Jim Watson
Rasmussen does not know the tone
During his post, Thorgerður Katrín hung a message Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Danish Foreign Minister to the United States.
There, Lars says that he did not know the tone that comes from the United States but says that Danes are ready to talk about the presence of American forces in Greenland.
Danes then respect the need for the United States to increase their forces in Greenland. He offers Americans a conversation.
Finally, Rasmussen reminds Americans that Greenland is part of NATO and NATO’s defense zone will reach Greenland.
Thorgerður says the Nordic countries have agreed on these fundamental values and it is quite clear that the Nordic countries are emphasizing it.
« Lars Lökke with his statement and with his colleagues to agree with him. »
The Nordic foreign ministers all sent a similar post today. Espen Barth Eide for Norway, Maria Malmer Stenergard for Sweden, Elina Valtonen for Finland and Thorgerður Katrín for Iceland.
No signs of a changed direction
Baldur Þórhallsson political science professor writes on Facebook that it is probably a matter of time when US administrators will talk about the importance of controlling Iceland.
Thorgerður Katrín says there is no sign of the United States that their policy towards Iceland is changing or our policy towards the United States.
« This has been up to this good cooperation and if anything, it has increased and strengthened over the last 6-8 years. We have seen it, » says the minister.
« It does not change that we need to be prepared for all kinds of scenarios, but first and foremost we need to be wary of Russia, they are the main threats. »
Thorgerður Katrín says Iceland’s basic pillars in defense and security today are two. NATO’s membership and the defense agreement with the United States.
Support cooperation
« However, it is quite clear and we have been pushing bilateral and multilateral cooperation, as with Canada, Norway and the United Kingdom. »
She says these nations have worked with Iceland, for example, Norway and the United Kingdom through JEF (Joint Expeditionary Force), multinational military cooperation that is based on rapid response and expedition.
In addition, Iceland is in active cooperation within the Nordic countries, Nordefco, which is to strengthen the defense and work on the effective and common states of the states.
« We will then consider going into similar cooperation that Norwegians did with the European Union in the field of security and defense.
These are all factors that will increase our support for our defense and security policy and we are spitting in the palms. It is quite clear from the development of issues in Greenland that it does not give up. «
A transformed worldview from a governing treaty
The minister says that now that the focus is moving more in the North Atlantic, Iceland needs to do more, like other European nations.
« We are taking very determined and visible steps in that being.
We put security and defense on the agenda in the Government Charter of this government aware of the current worldview and it has even changed from that time after we took over. «
