Brussels (TDI): The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, said that the people of Greenland should be able to make their own decisions free from any external interference or pressure.
The statement came on Tuesday, after the US Administration called for Greenland to become part of the United States.
Kaja Kallas, while speaking in a debate on Greenland in the European Parliament, did not criticize the US President or the United States directly. However, she emphasized that the borders are “inviolable and the territorial integrity must be respected.”
She further stressed, “The future and the destiny of Greenland can only be decided by the Greenland people. They should be able to make their choices free from outside pressure or external interference.”
Several other lawmakers openly criticized Donald Trump for repeatedly saying that he wants Greenland to become part of the United States.
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Greenland was officially integrated with Denmark in 1953 and has, since then, associated with the country, politically and culturally.
Since Trump assumed office in January, interests of the United States in Denmark’s Greenland have increased tenfold, leading to political tensions with Copenhagen.
Last month, a private sector delegation of the United States visited the territory to explore opportunities of investment in the vast natural resources of Greenland.
However, despite the interests of the current US Administration in gaining control of the strategic Arctic Island, there has been sufficient backlash from the opposition party.
During a visit to Denmark, on April 25, the leader of Democrats in the US’ House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, said that the US Congress is not likely to support any possible invasion of Denmark’s semi-autonomous territory of Greenland.
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Hakeem Jeffries said, “I don’t believe that there is real bipartisan support in the Congress to aggressively move on Greenland.”
He further stated, “You’ll have to ask our Republican colleagues, but I haven’t seen serious Republican members of Congress weigh in support of the notion that we should somehow invade Greenland.”
Jeffries reiterated the strong ties between the United States and Denmark and said that the latter has always been a great ally of the US in establishing a rules-based world order.
The statement was in stark contrast with the comments of Vice President JD Vance, who on his trip to Greenland, in March, said that Denmark had not been a good ally of the United States. The Prime Minister of Greenland heavily criticized the statement as well as the visit, calling it “highly aggressive.”
Javaria Khalid is a writer and researcher, who specializes in Pakistan's Foreign Policy Analysis, transatlantic geopolitics, and Pakistan’s relations with the European countries and the EU. She can be reached at javariakhalid011@outlook.com
