At the opening ceremony of the Cyprus Presidency of the EU Council in Nicosia on Wednesday 7 January, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, António Costa, reiterated the importance of respecting international law with regard to Greenland.
Mrs von der Leyen described the EU as “the promise that cooperation is stronger than confrontation, that law is stronger than force”, and explained that these principles applied “not only to the EU, but equally to Greenland”.
“The European Union cannot accept violations of international law, whether in Cyprus, Latin America, Greenland, Ukraine or Gaza”, stressed Mr Costa, adding that Europe would remain a firm and unwavering defender of international law and multilateralism.
He added: “Allow me to be clear: Greenland belongs to its people. Nothing can be decided about Denmark and about Greenland without Denmark, or without Greenland”. He added that the people of Greenland had the “full” support and solidarity of the EU. For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was also invited to speak at the opening ceremony, thanked the previous EU Council Presidency, Denmark, and reiterated his respect for its territorial integrity and sovereignty, without mentioning Greenland. He added that he equally respected the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Cyprus, the northern part of which is occupied by Turkey, and called for respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of his own country. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)