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Asserting that there are "important" principles at stake, Danish MP Rasmus Jarlov on Friday expressed hope that India will "back" Denmark as US President Donald Trump ramps up the threat to take over Greenland.
In an exclusive interview with ANI, Jarlov, who is chairman of Denmark's Defence Committee, condemned the Trump administration's claims over Greenland and said the US can't claim sovereignty over the strategic Arctic island. "Greenland is far away from India, but there are really important principles at stake here. Also, for a country like India, are you going to accept that a foreign power goes to a region in a country and tries to annex it through military means or by bribing the local population into leaving the country? I think India would be very angry if it happened to a region of India as well, and so should every country," Jarlov said. "So I hope India will back us up in this as well, because we do think that this is in the interest of everybody all over the world. If we start a game where it is okay to try to annex regions that you have absolutely no right to and no claim to whatsoever, then the world is going to be a very chaotic place," he added. His remarks come as Trump has renewed his push to take over a semi-autonomous Danish territory rich in natural resources, including rare earth minerals, uranium, and iron. The new push to annexe Greenland comes after Trump's use of military force against Venezuela on Saturday to seize its President Nicolas Maduro. Trump previously made an offer to buy the island in 2019, during his first presidential term, only to be told it was not for sale. Expressing shock over the recent developments, Jarlov said, "It is new that you (US) are threatening allies, countries that have done absolutely nothing against you, except for being very, very loyal allies." Jarlov maintained that there is no threat, no hostility and no justification for Trump to attack Greenland. "There's no threat, there's no hostility. There's no need, because the Americans already have access to Greenland, both militarily and in all other ways. There are no drug routes. There is no illegitimate government in Greenland. There is absolutely no justification for it--no historical ownership, no broken treaties, nothing can justify it. So if Greenland and Denmark can be targeted by aggression like that," he argued. Jarlov categorically denied US Vice President JD Vance's claim that Greenland is "critical" for the defence of the US and the world against possible Russian or Chinese missile attacks, saying that the only threat comes from the United States. Jarlov backed his argument by saying that if there were a real threat, the US would not have downscaled its troop presence in Greenland by 99 per cent. "There are no threats against Greenland. The only threat is the United States. This talk about China threatening Greenland is a fake story. They don't have any activity there. They don't even have a consulate. They don't have any mining. They don't own anything, and certainly nothing militarily. You'll struggle to find even a Chinese restaurant in Greenland," he said. "That's how little China is present in Greenland, and they have no intention of taking it. So it's a fake story that the Americans are spreading to justify moving in. And even if it were true, the Americans already have military access to Greenland, and they have chosen to downscale it by 99 per cent. They used to have 15,000 troops in Greenland, and today they have decided to keep only 150. That clearly shows it's not true that there are major Chinese or Russian threats, because if there were, they would already have a much larger military presence," he added. (ANI)
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