Faroese minister denies defence deal with Denmark

Faroese and Danish officials have given conflicting accounts of whether they agreed on a new defence arrangement over the weekend, Kringvarp Føroya reports. Faroese Foreign Affairs Minister Bárður á Steig Nielsen says no such agreement was made, despite statements from Danish Defence Minister Jeppe Bruus indicating otherwise.

Bruus travelled to the Faroe Islands on Sunday and met with Nielsen. Speaking to Danish broadcaster TV2 afterwards, Bruus said the two sides had agreed to strengthen the already close cooperation between Denmark and the Faroe Islands.

Nielsen described the meeting differently, saying they reviewed initiatives that were already under way. He mentioned the upcoming Arctic Endurance and Arctic Sentry exercises, which are under joint NATO leadership. The Faroese authorities have said they are willing to participate if activities are to take place in the Faroe Islands.

The minister has faced criticism over what opponents say was insufficient information provided to the Faroese Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee. Jenis av Rana, a member of the committee, told Kringvarp Føroya that its members learned over the weekend that negotiations were taking place between the Danish defence minister and the Faroese foreign affairs minister, with agreements reportedly being discussed.

Several statements from the Danish side have suggested that an agreement was reached. A Danish Defence Ministry press release said Denmark and the Faroe Islands had agreed that the Danish armed forces would gradually and periodically increase their presence in and around the islands in cooperation with Faroese authorities.

The Danish news agency Ritzau also reported on August 2 that Denmark would have a larger military presence in the Faroe Islands in the future, following an agreement between Bruus and Nielsen. Bruus wrote on Facebook on Monday that he and his Faroese counterpart had agreed to strengthen defence cooperation at a meeting in Torshavn.