Denmark: First Greenland talks with the U.S. ‘constructive… but situation not resolved’

The United States and Denmark have begun their first senior-level working-level talks related to Greenland’s annexation. The two countries plan to hold additional talks in the near future.

According to Bloomberg, CNBC and other foreign media on the 29th (local time), Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told reporters ahead of a European Union (EU) foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels, Belgium, that senior-level working-level talks aimed at addressing the Greenland issue began the previous day (28th) in Washington, D.C.

Rasmussen said the talks “went very well in a highly constructive atmosphere, and further meetings are scheduled.” He added, “However, the situation has not been resolved,” noting that “after tensions escalated, things have now returned to a normal track.” He added that “today is a little more optimistic than a week ago,” and said, “We share U.S. security concerns about the Arctic region, and this is an issue we want to address through close cooperation.”

Meanwhile, Denmark’s King Frederik X plans to visit Greenland on the 16th of next month. In a statement, King Frederik said, “Greenland’s well-being is a very important matter,” adding, “It is of course also important to keep up the morale of the Greenlandic people.”