Latest news with #VivianMotzfeldt
Reuters
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Greenland wants more out of US defence agreement, minister says
BRUSSELS, May 15 (Reuters) - Greenland wants to benefit more from a defence deal struck decades ago with the United States, the territory's foreign minister, Vivian Motzfeldt, told Reuters on Thursday while also calling for closer cooperation with the European Union. U.S. President Donald Trump has floated the idea of acquiring Greenland, refusing to rule out taking the island by force. The idea has been rebuffed both by leaders in Greenland and Denmark, which governs the island. A 1951 agreement between the U.S. and Denmark gave the U.S. the right to move around freely and construct military bases in Greenland as long as Denmark and Greenland are notified. "We want to get more out of this agreement," Greenland's Motzfeldt said in an interview, adding that Greenland wants to expand cooperation with the U.S. on climate change, education and business. The minister, who was visiting Brussels for talks with senior EU officials, also said that Greenland wants to build stronger ties to the bloc and diversify its economy. "We want to have more bilateral and direct cooperation with the EU," she said, noting that she wants the relationship to be more visible and pointing to critical minerals as an area of cooperation. Greenland and the EU signed a memorandum of understanding in 2023 on a strategic partnership to develop sustainable raw materials value chains. In March, U.S. Vice President JD Vance, on a visit to Greenland which stoked deep unease, accused Denmark of not doing a good job keeping the island safe and suggested the United States would better protect it. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said this month the people of Greenland should be able to make their own choices free from external pressure. "Under the circumstances of what [is] happening in the United States, we have the EU that stands for us," Motzfeldt said. "The future of Greenland is up to the Greenlandic people," she said.
Straits Times
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Greenland wants more out of US defence agreement, minister says
Vivian Motzfeldt, Denmark's Minister of Defence Troels Lund Poulsen (not seen) and members of the coalition present a defense agreement on the Arctic and North Atlantic in the Ministry of Defence in Copenhagen, Denmark, Monday January 27, 2025 Ritzau Scanpix/Emil Helms via REUTERS Greenland wants more out of US defence agreement, minister says BRUSSELS - Greenland wants to benefit more from a defence deal struck decades ago with the United States, the territory's foreign minister, Vivian Motzfeldt, told Reuters on Thursday while also calling for closer cooperation with the European Union. U.S. President Donald Trump has floated the idea of acquiring Greenland, refusing to rule out taking the island by force. The idea has been rebuffed both by leaders in Greenland and Denmark, which governs the island. A 1951 agreement between the U.S. and Denmark gave the U.S. the right to move around freely and construct military bases in Greenland as long as Denmark and Greenland are notified. "We want to get more out of this agreement," Greenland's Motzfeldt said in an interview, adding that Greenland wants to expand cooperation with the U.S. on climate change, education and business. The minister, who was visiting Brussels for talks with senior EU officials, also said that Greenland wants to build stronger ties to the bloc and diversify its economy. "We want to have more bilateral and direct cooperation with the EU," she said, noting that she wants the relationship to be more visible and pointing to critical minerals as an area of cooperation. Greenland and the EU signed a memorandum of understanding in 2023 on a strategic partnership to develop sustainable raw materials value chains. In March, U.S. Vice President JD Vance, on a visit to Greenland which stoked deep unease, accused Denmark of not doing a good job keeping the island safe and suggested the United States would better protect it. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said this month the people of Greenland should be able to make their own choices free from external pressure. "Under the circumstances of what [is] happening in the United States, we have the EU that stands for us," Motzfeldt said. "The future of Greenland is up to the Greenlandic people," she said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CBC
14-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Greenland's foreign minister takes over as Arctic Council chair
Greenland's foreign minister is the new chair of the Arctic Council as the Kingdom of Denmark takes over the position from Norway. Vivian Motzfeldt will be chair for the next two years, leading the council of eight Arctic countries and six permanent participants. Speaking at a news conference in Oslo, Norway, on Monday, Motzfeldt said she wants bring the council's work closer to people living in the region. She also said she hopes to balance development with preservation and protecting Indigenous rights. Motzfeldt takes on the role at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump has been threatening to take over Greenland, something Greenland has consistently pushed back on. "I think we have been very clear in our politics, that we don't want to be Danes but we don't want to be Americans either," Motzfeldt said. She said her goal for the Arctic Council as chair is "a more resilient future for the Arctic and its peoples." Espen Barth Eide, Norway's minister of foreign affairs and the previous chair of the Arctic Council, said the council remains united "despite these geopolitical issues around us." "What happens in the Arctic does not stay in the Arctic," he said. In a statement, Inuit Circumpolar Council president Sandra Olsvig said Motzfeldt's leadership places Indigenous people at the centre of Arctic governance. "Recognizing our rights also means seeking a common understanding of the past, the challenges of the present, and the way ahead. We have an inherent right of self-determination, and the fulfilment of our rights at all levels of governance is imperative," Olsvig said. Motzfeldt says the Kingdom of Denmark's leadership will have five priorities: Indigenous peoples and communities in the Arctic, sustainable economic development and energy transition solutions, oceans, Arctic climate change and biodiversity. There are eight member nations of the Arctic Council: Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden and the United States. Motzfeldt will stay on as chair until 2027.
Toronto Star
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Denmark takes over as Arctic Council chair at a time when Trump eyes its territory, Greenland
TROMSOE, Norway (AP) — Denmark on Monday took over the Arctic Council's rotating chairmanship from Norway at a time when security tensions over the region are fraught and U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to annex Greenland. Denmark named Vivian Motzfeldt, Greenland's foreign affairs minister, as the new chair of the council, the eight-nation grouping of countries that border the Arctic. Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, which has rebuffed Trump's talk of buying the island.
Toronto Star
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Denmark takes over as chair of the Arctic Council at a time when Trump eyes Greenland
TROMSOE, Norway (AP) — Denmark on Monday takes over the Arctic Council's rotating chairmanship from Norway at a time when Arctic security tensions are fraught and U.S. President Donald Trump is seeking to annex Greenland. Denmark chose to name Vivian Motzfeldt, Greenland's foreign affairs minister, to be the new chair of the council, the eight-nation grouping of countries that border the Arctic. Denmark has rebuffed Trump's talk of buying the strategic Arctic island, a semi-autonomous territory of the kingdom.
