Portugal has endorsed the European declaration on Greenland’s autonomy following threats of annexation (if necessary “utilizing the U.S. military”) made by President of the United States, Donald Trump.
In a long text over social media today, citing the declaration, prime minister Luís Montenegro writes: “Along with its European partners, Portugal endorses the following declaration:
“Arctic security remains a key priority for Europe and it is critical for international and transatlantic security.
“NATO has made clear that the Arctic region is a priority and European Allies are stepping up.
“We and many other Allies have increased our presence, activities and investments, to keep the Arctic safe and to deter adversaries. The Kingdom of Denmark – including Greenland – is part of NATO.
“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. These are universal principles, and we will not stop defending them.
“The United States is an essential partner in this endeavour, as a NATO ally and through the defence agreement between the Kingdom of Denmark and the United States of 1951.
“Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”
The European focus on Greenland intensified on Sunday when President Trump reiterated his goal of annexing the Danish territory, describing it as strategically important to U.S. security.
Greenland is a vast Arctic island with a population of 57,000. It has significant mineral resources, most of which are still unexploited, as well as a strategic location.
The United States already has a military base there and operated about 10 others during the Cold War.
On Sunday, Donald Trump said that the U.S. urgency to ‘acquire Greenland’ came as a result of the fact that it was currently “covered by Russian and Chinese ships all over the place” – a contention that Danish authorities have refuted.
Source: LUSA/ Aljazeera/ cnbc.com
