New Delhi, Jan 13 (IANS) Amid rising fears of United States weighing options that include military action to take control of Greenland, Germany has played down an invasion even as the NATO tried to convince Washington of working on “next steps” to protect Arctic’s security, said reports.
Beijing has meanwhile taken “exception to US President Donald Trump’s attempts to use Russia and China as an excuse for his push into the Arctic”, reported Moscow-based RT.com, quoting China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson.
According to the Financial Times, a senior Nordic diplomat has said that it is “simply not true that the Chinese and Russians are there,” claiming to have seen specific Intelligence inputs.
“There are no ships, no submarines,” stated the official.
Germany’s state-funded public broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) quoted NATO chief Mark Rutte as reiterating on Monday, “All allies agree on the importance of the Arctic and Arctic security, because we know that with sea lanes opening up there is a risk that the Russians and the Chinese will be more active.”
But he also asserted that NATO member-countries were working on “next steps” to protect Arctic security.
In a separate report, the DW said that German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Monday “played down” suggestions that the United States could “invade Greenland with its military”.
Wadephul’s statement came after his meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, where the German Minister emphasised that there was “no reason” to believe that such action was being “seriously considered”.
He insisted that NATO members shared a common interest in ensuring security in the Arctic.
On Monday, a Newsweek article also covered the evolving situation where US officials have said that Washington needs control of Greenland to safeguard its national security and shore up NATO defences.
“Onlookers also say sharp U.S. interest in the island, which is a semi-autonomous part of Denmark, is also about expanding Washington’s sphere of influence in the Western Hemisphere and securing vital resources,” it added.
“But the region in general is garnering more and more attention, not only from states with Arctic coastlines but also from farther-flung nations. China has declared itself a “near Arctic” state, and Russia — the dominant Arctic power — has been heavily investing in its footprint in the region,” said the Newsweek report.
There has been talk of China’s Polar Silk Route initiative to develop Arctic shipping routes, as efficient management of trade routes and seeking newer resources, a part of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Monday’s Newsweek report quoted Belgium’s Defence Minister Theo Francken that NATO nations should launch a new operation in the Arctic to fend off US concerns about security in the region.
The report also shared that many Greenlanders are in favour of eventually separating from Denmark, but opinion polls showed that a vast majority of them also do not want to become part of the US.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen has already rejected President Trump’s repeated statements on the annexation of his country, saying “the United States will not get it”.
He has emphasised that Greenland is a self-governing territory and its future lies with its own people.
The icy expanse is said to possess abundant natural resources, with availability of both fossil fuels and critical raw materials. It also holds a highly strategic location in the North Atlantic.
With the US President eyeing the resources and the location, Nielsen has reacted with, “We are fully aware of our country’s strategic location”, said reports.
American troops are already stationed in Greenland in the northwest of the island, where the base is of strategic importance for detecting long-range missiles bound for the US mainland, media coverage on the standoff have added.
–IANS
jb/rad
