Tensions over Greenland as Donald Trump maneuvers to take the island are triggering “some shit” in the Arctic, said Faroe Islands Foreign Minister Høgni Hoydal on Friday.
“All the agreements on fishing, shipping, the environment, and research that have created peace in the Arctic are also beginning to crumble as global tensions rise. And that’s some shit,” said Hoydal in an interview with Danish media outlet TV2 during a break from a long-planned meeting between the Danish Commonwealth’s three members: Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
The Arctic’s strategic location, together with its untapped natural resources and the opening of new shipping lanes due to climate change, is placing the region in the spotlight as U.S. President-elect Trump pushes to take Greenland under American control.
Denmark, as the administrative power over Greenland and the Faroe Islands, has faced mounting pressure to bolster its Arctic security and maintain stability in the region, while Trump’s ambitions kicked up a notch this week as he refused to rule out military action to grab the world’s largest island from Denmark.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Greenlandic Prime Minister Múte Egede and Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen and Faroese leader Aksel Johannesen were also also in attendance at the summit.
Hoydal accused Copenhagen of treating the Faroe Islands and Greenland like “chess pieces.”
“Not to be rude, Denmark has used the Faroe Islands and Greenland in its relationship to NATO and the USA like chess pieces,” said Hoydal, suggesting that Denmark exploits Greenland and Faroe Island’s strategic importance in the Arctic for a geopolitical advantage.
“But if we are going to be used as chess pieces, it is up to us how we move on the chessboard,” he concluded.
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