Why NATO Is Looking to Greenland as Arctic Tensions Rise

AFP/APP

Berlin: Germany’s defence ministry said on Thursday that a reconnaissance mission to Greenland by several European NATO members is intended to explore security options in response to what it described as growing Russian and Chinese threats in the Arctic.

The ministry made no reference to repeated claims by US President Donald Trump regarding the Danish autonomous territory.

Germany, France, Sweden and Norway announced the joint deployments on Wednesday, shortly after talks in Washington between US, Danish and Greenlandic officials failed to resolve differences over the strategically important island.

In a statement, the German defence ministry said a 13-member Bundeswehr team would help “explore the framework conditions for possible military contributions to support Denmark in ensuring security in the region.”

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Echoing the US position, the ministry said Russia and China pose the primary security challenges in the Arctic. Defence Minister Boris Pistorius was quoted as saying that both countries are increasingly using the region for military purposes, threatening freedom of transport, communication and trade.

“NATO will not allow this and will continue to uphold the rules-based international order,” Pistorius said. “It is crucial that we coordinate very closely within NATO, particularly with our US partners, during the joint exploration in Greenland under Danish leadership.”

According to the ministry, the mission is being carried out at Denmark’s invitation and aims to collect basic information on local conditions for potential operational and training activities.

The German contingent was scheduled to fly to Denmark’s Karup air base on Thursday. From there, the European allies will travel together to Greenland on Friday aboard a Danish civilian aircraft.

“From our perspective, this joint flight is a strong sign of our unity,” the ministry said.