Minister urges Iceland to reassess security ties over Greenland claims

Iceland must reassess its security and defence position in light of Donald Trump’s statements about Greenland, Justice Minister Þorbjörg S. Gunnlaugsdóttir writes in an opinion article published by mbl.is and Morgunblaðið.

She says responsible authorities should consider whether Iceland’s interests would be better served within the European Union.

Threats may come from the United States

Gunnlaugsdóttir says Trump’s statements that the United States would take control of Greenland show that the security interests of the Nordic countries may now face a threat from the United States.

She refers to Trump’s recent statement in a television programme that there was a possibility the United States would take over Greenland while he was in office. He also posted an image of himself towering over Greenland on his social media platform.

Two days later, a Texas oil company that the minister says has links to people in Trump’s inner circle arrived on Greenland’s east coast with oil exploration equipment, without the approval of the Greenlandic authorities.

EU solidarity

Gunnlaugsdóttir describes Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s response to Trump’s statements as admirable. She notes that Denmark has emphasised solidarity among European countries in the matter.

“The Danish authorities have said it would have been difficult to withstand this storm from the US president over Greenland if they had not belonged to the bloc of solidarity that the European Union is. Greenlanders have repeatedly said that they prefer cooperation with Denmark and the EU over the United States,” she writes.

The minister says the Nordic countries face a new reality. Finland and Sweden have already responded to the changed security environment by joining NATO, while Denmark has decided to abandon its opt-out from the European Union’s common defence policy.

“That is how responsible countries respond to a changing world. They reassess the situation,” Gunnlaugsdóttir writes.

Iceland must remain alert

She stresses that the United States has been one of Iceland’s main allies and that maintaining good relations with the country remains important.

“But this friendship does not change the fact that responsible authorities must remain alert because of the statements and actions of the United States.”

Gunnlaugsdóttir says Iceland must reassess its position in response to changing circumstances, as it has done before. She refers, among other things, to Iceland’s decision to join NATO in 1949 and its response when the United States decided to withdraw its troops from the country in 2006.