Copenhagen (AFP) – A US bipartisan congressional delegation kicked off a visit to Copenhagen on Friday to express support for Denmark and Greenland after President Donald Trump’s threats to take over the Arctic island. The 11 congressmen and women were to hold talks with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and her Greenlandic counterpart Jens-Frederik Nielsen, among others. Their visit came two days after a meeting in Washington where Copenhagen said Denmark and the United States were in “fundamental disagreement” over the future of Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark.
An AFP reporter in Copenhagen saw a large black van leave Frederiksen’s office shortly before noon (1100 GMT) on Friday, but her office would not confirm whether the meeting had taken place. The US delegation was also due to meet with Danish members of parliament. The group arrived at the offices of the Danish employers’ association Dansk Industri around midday for a meeting with business leaders.
“We are showing bipartisan solidarity with the people of this country and with Greenland. They’ve been our friends and allies for decades,” Democratic Senator Dick Durbin told reporters. “We want them to know we appreciate that very much. And the statements being made by the president do not reflect what the American people feel,” he added.
Trump has insisted the US needs strategically-located Greenland and has criticised Denmark for not doing enough to ensure its security. The US president has pursued that argument, despite Greenland — as part of Denmark — being covered by NATO’s security umbrella. In addition to Durbin, the US delegation is made up of Democratic senators Chris Coons, Peter Welch and Jeanne Shaheen, as well as Republicans Thom Tillis and Lisa Murkowski. Democrats from the House of Representatives in the delegation are Steny Hoyer, Gregory Meeks, Madeleine Dean, Sara Jacobs, and Sarah McBride.
The group will be in Copenhagen on Friday and Saturday, before heading to the World Economic Forum in Davos.
© 2024 AFP
