Løkke visits three European capitals: Arctic security in focus

Denmark’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, begins a tour on Sunday to three close allies – Norway, the United Kingdom and Sweden – where the security situation in the Arctic is at the top of the agenda.

The trip spans five days with planned meetings in Oslo, London and Stockholm. In all three capitals, the foreign minister will meet with his counterparts to discuss the increasing geopolitical competition in the Arctic and the need for enhanced cooperation among NATO countries.

“In a turbulent and unpredictable world, Denmark needs close friends and allies. Those are Norway, the United Kingdom and Sweden, and I will use my meetings to thank them for the strong support the Kingdom has received in a difficult time. What our countries have in common is that we all agree that NATO’s role in the Arctic must be strengthened, and I look forward to discussing how,” says Minister for Foreign Affairs Lars Løkke Rasmussen.

The background to the visit includes, among other things, a joint declaration that Denmark and a number of European countries – including the United Kingdom – have recently endorsed. The declaration states that the Kingdom of Denmark, including Greenland, is part of NATO, and that security in the Arctic is a shared concern for the alliance’s member states. It also emphasizes the importance of sovereignty, territorial integrity and respect for international borders. The declaration follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s demand that Greenland should be American.

Norway and Sweden have also, in clear terms, expressed their support for the Kingdom of Denmark and its position in the Arctic.

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