BERLIN: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Saturday that the principle of sovereign borders must be protected, days after US President-elect Donald Trump refused to rule out force to seize Greenland.
Speaking to a congress of his Social Democrat party ahead of a general election next month, Scholz said: “The principle of the inviolability of borders applies to every country, regardless of whether it’s in the East or the West,” referring also to Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine.
“This is a principle that every state must abide by, whether it’s a small state or a big and powerful one,” he said.
“No country is the backyard of another, no country should have to fear its bigger neighbours. That is a central part of what we call Western values.”
Trump vows to control Panama Canal, Greenland
Trump sparked alarm bells on Tuesday when he refused to rule out military intervention over the Panama Canal and Greenland, both of which he has said he wants the United States to control.
That prompted Scholz to tell a hastily called press conference on Wednesday that Trump had caused “notable incomprehension” among EU leaders.
Asked on Tuesday if he would rule out using military or economic force in order to take control of the strategically-important island, Trump said: “No, I can’t assure you on either of those two.”
Speaking to reporters on January 8, Trump left open the use of the American military to secure both territories. Trump’s intention marks a rejection of decades of US policy that has prioritized self-determination over territorial expansion.
“I’m not going to commit to that,” Trump said, when asked if he would rule out the use of the military. “It might be that you’ll have to do something. The Panama Canal is vital to our country.” He added, “We need Greenland for national security purposes.”
Greenland, home to a large US military base, is an autonomous territory of Denmark, a longtime US ally and a founding member of NATO. Trump cast doubts on the legitimacy of Denmark’s claim to Greenland.
The Panama Canal has been solely controlled by the eponymous country for more than 25 years. The US returned the Panama Canal Zone to the country in 1979 and ended its joint partnership in controlling the strategic waterway in 1999.
Addressing Trump’s comments in an interview with Danish broadcaster TV2, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the United States Denmark’s “most important and closest ally,” and that she did not believe that the United States would use military or economic power to secure control over Greenland.
Frederiksen repeated that she welcomed the United States taking a greater interest in the Arctic region, but that it would “have to be done in a way that is respectful of the Greenlandic people,” she said.
“At the same time, it must be done in a way that allows Denmark and the United States to still cooperate in, among other things, NATO,” Frederiksen said.
