Poland will do 'everything in its power' to keep NATO united, says FM
Poland is committed to taking all necessary measures to prevent a rift within NATO, Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has said amid growing tensions triggered by the US interest in Greenland.
In an interview with public broadcaster Polish Radio Three on Wednesday, Sikorski commented on US President Donald Trump's repeated statements about acquiring Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark. Trump has argued that control of the strategically located island is vital to US national security.
Sikorski said that the US already maintains a military presence on the island, with "perhaps one hundred and fifty soldiers" stationed there. He added that Washington could increase their number if it chose to do so.
"If China or Russia present a danger to Greenland, the rest of NATO can mitigate that risk by staging military exercises there," Sikorski said.
Pressed on whether the dispute could lead to a split within the alliance, Sikorski responded that NATO had previously experienced an armed conflict between its members. "Let me remind you of the year 1973 and the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, but that would be the last thing we want," he said.
Sikorski also commented that the US was Poland's valuable ally, without whom NATO would be deprived of its key military capabilities. Denmark, meanwhile, was securing the Danish Straits, an essential gateway to the Baltic Sea, which has been largely dominated by NATO countries. Russia maintains access to the sea through its exclave of Kaliningrad and its main port at Saint Petersburg.
"So, we will do everything in our power to avoid such a rift," he said.
Recently, Trump said that if he were unable to acquire Greenland "the easy way," then he would have to "do it the hard way," claiming the island was vital to the US's national security. The statement followed a US military operation in Venezuela, which resulted in the capture of its President, Nicolas Maduro.
In response to Trump's remarks, the prime minister of Greenland, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said on Tuesday that he was choosing NATO, Denmark, and the European Union over the US.
"That's their problem, I disagree with him... That's going to be a big problem for him," Trump said later in a response to Nielsen's statement. (PAP)
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