COPENHAGEN, Dec 8 (Reuters) – The new U.S. ambassador to Denmark, PayPal co-founder Kenneth Howery, will meet officials from Greenland and Denmark in Nuuk this week on his first visit to the Arctic island, amid tensions over President Donald Trump’s interest in acquiring the semi-autonomous territory.
Relations between Denmark and its longtime ally, the United States, have been strained since Trump revived talk of wresting Greenland away from Denmark.
“Excited to be in Greenland for the annual Joint Committee meeting between the U.S. and Greenland with Denmark,” the U.S. embassy said Monday on Instagram, posting a photo of Howery with Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt.
The meetings of the Joint Committee and the Permanent Committee, which alternate between Greenland and the U.S., provide a forum for civilian and military cooperation, including the American military presence on the strategically located island, Greenland’s government said on Saturday.
“These committee meetings are designed to promote direct dialogue and cooperation with the United States on several areas of both civilian and military importance,” Motzfeldt said in a statement.
Washington argues that Greenland, a Danish sovereign territory, is vital for U.S. security and its ballistic missile early-warning system, as the shortest route from Europe to North America runs via the island.
“Trust and respect are the foundation of any partnership, and it is no secret that the past year has been challenging,” Motzfeldt added.
Denmark’s foreign ministry declined to comment on who would participate from Denmark.
Both the Danish and Greenland governments have ruled out ceding the resource-rich island to U.S. control, although Denmark has acknowledged neglecting the territory’s military capabilities.
(Reporting by Stine Jacobsen, additional reporting by Soren Sirich Jeppesen, editing by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Ros Russell)
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