The US has never been interested in making Greenland part of the US, says Foreign Minister Marco Rubio.
The American government’s interest in Greenland has been exclusively about national security.
This is what the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, said on the night of Tuesday Danish time in an interview on the television station Fox News.
– Our president has made it clear that the issue of Greenland is not about territorial conquest, but about national security, says Marco Rubio.
The foreign minister is interviewed after the USA, Denmark and Greenland signed an agreement on Greenland last week.
The agreement came about after US President Donald Trump had previously pushed for the US to buy Greenland. It was rejected by both Greenland and Denmark.
Last year, Trump would not rule out that the US could annex Greenland.
Agreement signed last week
The agreement, signed last week, allows the US to create new defense areas in Narsarsuaq and Mestersvig and expand the Pituffik Space Base.
The agreement also opens the way for the establishment of the American missile defense system Golden Dome in Greenland.
In addition, according to the agreement, states or investors from states that are not members of NATO or the EU or are NATO partners must not have significant influence within what are termed as sensitive sectors.
Rubio: Greenland is more important than ever
Marco Rubio says in the interview with Fox News that Greenland is more important today than ever for two reasons.
One is, according to Rubio, that several countries – including China – are trying to gain control over shipping routes that are important for international trade and shipping.S
– The second reason is warfare in Space.
– If you are to build the kind of missile defense that the USA needs to protect itself, Greenland is incredibly important. For all of North America, says Marco Rubio.
Afraid of opponents investing
The Minister of Foreign Affairs says that there is a fear in the US administration that other countries and potential adversaries can, through investments, build, for example, an airport, which in reality may have a different purpose.
– It can look like a port or airport, but be built in a way so that it actually looks like a military base, says Marco Rubio.
After the agreement between the USA, Denmark and Greenland was signed on Tuesday last week, there will be an approval process in the parliaments of Greenland and Denmark.
RITZAU
