“We seek to find a way forward through this moment that reinforces the 225-year-old partnership and alliance between the people of the Kingdom of Denmark and the United States.”
Source: Sen Coons’ Office
COPENHAGEN, Denmark – A congressional delegation to Copenhagen led by U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) held a press conference this morning where Senator Coons delivered opening remarks.
In his remarks, Senator Coons discussed the meetings the delegation has had, celebrated the 225-year-old partnership and alliance between the Kingdom of Denmark and the United States that is built on shared values, and discussed how the United States can stand together with the Danish and Greenlandic people to meet this dangerous moment in an increasingly unstable world.
A transcript of Senator Coons’ remarks is below:
Senator Coons: Thank you for joining this bipartisan, bicameral congressional delegation. We appreciate the opportunity to give you a quick update on our trip so far. I’m honored to be joined by a group of senators that includes Senators Durbin, Shaheen, Murkowski, and Tillis, and members of the House that includes Congressman Meeks, Congressman Hoyer – excuse me, Senator Welch, I neglected to say as well – Congressman Meeks, Congressman Hoyer, Congresswoman Jacobs, Congresswoman Dean, and Congresswoman McBride.
We represent a very wide range of states and backgrounds, we serve on most of the major committees of Congress, and I am so grateful for their attention and engagement over the past few days. We’ve had the opportunity to meet with and hear from a very wide range of Danish and Greenlandic representatives. We had a terrific and constructive meeting with the prime minister and the Greenlandic prime minister.
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[We also met] with Danish industry, a purposeful lunch that was a good opportunity to hear from Danish industry – at the think tank DIIS, I think the Danish Institute for International Studies – and a really robust conversation with parliament. At every one of these meetings or conversations there were representatives from throughout the Kingdom of Denmark.
The conversations we’ve had have reinforced a few simple points. One is that for 225 years, the United States has been blessed to have a good and loyal and trusted ally and partner in the Kingdom of Denmark. Later today we will go to Kastellet and lay a wreath to express our deep gratitude for the Danes who served alongside Americans in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere, and who lost their lives in defense of our common commitment to peace and to freedom. As an original NATO ally, Denmark has been a tremendous partner for us in security, and that relationship is rooted in deeply shared values – values of democracy, of self-determination, and of respect for territorial integrity.
The conversation with Danish industry reinforced that Danish businesses invest heavily in the United States. They’re the 16th largest source of foreign direct investment. There are roughly 200,000 Americans who enjoy great jobs because of Danish exports and investment in the United States. In listening to conversations we’ve had with both the think tank and that Senator Shaheen had with students at the university here, we got a broader range of the views of the people of Denmark. And in our purposeful and concrete conversations with parliamentary leaders, members of the cabinet, and the prime ministers, both Danish and Greenlandic, we had a chance to discuss the current moment and how we can move forward in a constructive way.
A few simple observations: there are no pressing security threats to Greenland, but we share real concern about arctic security going forward. As the climate changes, as the sea ice retreats, as shipping routes change, there are legitimate reasons for us to explore ways to invest better in arctic security broadly, both in the American arctic and in our NATO partners and allies. Second is that we seek to find a way forward through this moment that reinforces the 225-year-old partnership and alliance between the people of the Kingdom of Denmark and the United States, and we return to Washington after this trip with a renewed passion for finding ways that we can engage that are respectful and constructive.
It was made very clear to us, as it has been repeatedly over the years, that if the United States seeks to invest in partnership, respectfully, with the people of Greenland in accessing possibly newly available critical minerals or rare earths, that that would be welcome. And, that in partnership with the Kingdom of Denmark, if we wish to increase our investments in arctic security, that would be welcome. But the challenge here is for that to be done in a way that is deeply respectful of Danish sovereignty and of our NATO Alliance.
So, with that, I think we’re happy to take questions, and we appreciate everyone who’s been a part of this.
