US is only threat to Denmark, says MP Rasmus Jarlov on Trump's remarks

Danish MP Rasmus Jarlov slammed the US for its 'unacceptable' military threats against Denmark, calling America the 'only threat' to the nation and Greenland. He dismissed the idea of a Chinese threat as a 'fake story.'

Danish MP Calls US Threat 'Shocking and Unprecedented'

Danish Conservative MP Rasmus Jarlov said that it was deeply troubling for Denmark to be threatened with military forces. Jarlov, while speaking on Trump's remarks on Denmark, said that the only threat to the nation is the US.

He said, "It is deeply troubling, and unacceptable, that we are being threatened with military force by the United States... It is shocking and unprecedented that you would threaten allies, countries that have done nothing against you except remain loyal. This is worrying for other countries as well, because if Denmark can be the target of such aggression, then no one is safe... In the case of Greenland, however, there is absolutely no excuse: no threat, no hostility," he said.

The Greenland Context

China Threat a 'Fake Story'

He also said they have no threat from China. "There are no threats against Greenland. The only threat is the United States. The notion that China is threatening Greenland is a fake story. China has virtually no presence there: no consulate, no mining operations, no ownership, and certainly no military footprint... Even if it were true, the Americans already have military access to Greenland, and they have actually scaled it down by 99%, from 15,000 troops to 150," he said.

Historical US-Denmark Military Agreement

Under a little-known Cold War agreement, the United States already enjoys sweeping military access in Greenland. Right now, the United States has one base in a very remote corner of the island. But the agreement allows it to "construct, install, maintain, and operate" military bases across Greenland, "house personnel" and "control landings, takeoffs, anchorages, moorings, movements, and operation of ships, aircraft, and waterborne craft," as per New York Times.

It was signed in 1951 by the United States and Denmark, which colonised Greenland more than 300 years ago and still controls some of its affairs. Greenlanders now have the right to hold a referendum on independence, and Danish officials have said it's up to the island's 57,000 inhabitants to decide their future. A poll last year found 85 per cent of residents opposed the idea of an American takeover, as per New York Times.

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