The Danish government announced Monday that it will allocate 15,000 million crowns (about 2,000 million euros) to the purchase of three new ships, two long -range drones and reinforce the capacity of their satellites To improve Arctic defense.
The initiative is the result of an agreement between the government and several opposition parties and occurs in the midst of controversy by the statements of the US president, Donald Trumpabout his interest in buying the autonomous territory of Greenland in Denmark.
Trump, who did not rule out strength actions or economic sanctions against Copenhagen if he does not sell it, he has several occasions to insufficient the defense of that Arctic Island.
“With the three new ships we will have a better coverage of the Arctic and North Atlantic,” Danish Minister of Defense, told a press conference, Troels Lund Poulenwhich stressed that this is the first of several defense agreements for the area that will be presented this year.
The three new ships will replace another four with more than 40 years old and have operational problems.
The agreement also includes preparing a new plan for the Danish Marina in the Arctic.
“For me it has been a priority to ensure the acquisition of new Arctic ships, I know of the important role they play for the military and civil tasks of the Arctic Command,” said Greenlands Minister of exteriors in the same appearance, Vivian Motzfeldtwhich spoke of “historical day.”
Both the autonomous and the Danish government have highlighted in the last weeks that it will be the Greenlandes who decide their future, but have been open to increase cooperation in defense and economic defense with the United States, with attention to the mineral wealth of the subsoil of the subsoil of the subsoil of the island.
Greenland has been a new statute of autonomy since 2009 that recognizes his right of self -determination.
The majority of parties and the population defend the Denmark separationbut half of the island’s budget depends on Copenhagen’s annual aid and attempts to increase revenues with their mineral and oil wealth have failed at the moment due to difficulties and the high cost of extraction.
Trump held a “heated” conversation with the Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, On his firm decision to buy Greenlandia, the newspaper said Friday Financial Times.
According to the British newspaper, five senior European officials said that the telephone conversation held last week Trump and Frederiksen, for 45 minutes, “I had gone very bad.”
They added that the American president replied “aggressive and confrontational” to the comments of the Danish Prime Minister, after it emphasized that the Arctic Island, autonomous part of Denmark, “was not for sale.”
“He (Trump) was very firm. It was a jug of cold water. Before it was difficult to take it seriously, but Now I think it is serious and potentially very dangerous ”said one of the European officials to Financial Times.
Another former Danish official, also informed about the call, assured the aforementioned newspaper that Trump had threatened to take “specific measures against Denmark, as selective tariffs.”
(With EFE information)
