00:00All right, I have time for two more questions, one way in the back, that gentleman right there, and then...
00:05Can I take this one from me, sir?
00:06Huh?
00:07It's my first time attending a U.S. conference.
00:09Oh, it is? Who are you with?
00:10West America.
00:11That would be like the third Voice of America question.
00:14All right, well, I'm going to think about it while I answer his question.
00:18Some time ago, an agreement was made between the U.S., Denmark, and Greenland regarding Greenland and the Arctic up
00:24there.
00:24And for the last couple of weeks, the president has been very active on the campaign trail, saying that he
00:32was very glad that Denmark gave Greenland to the U.S., and that is being perceived a little differently in
00:39Denmark and in Greenland.
00:41So has the president misunderstood the agreement that was made, or has the people of Denmark and Greenland misunderstood?
00:48Yeah, I'm not sure what comments you're referring to, and I certainly haven't followed how it's been covered in Denmark.
00:53Suffice it to say, we have a very good deal, one the president is fully apprised of, he understands, and
00:58is very supportive of.
00:59And it builds on what we've done there for a long time, but one of the most important things that
01:02it does is it ensures that never do we have to worry about,
01:06irrespective of the decision Greenland makes to, if they one day go independent or stay, continue to be a part
01:12of the Kingdom of Denmark,
01:13it will never have to worry about it being a place where a potential adversary, through commercial means, can gain
01:19access to things that would be harmful to any of our countries.
01:21I think just from a strategic standpoint and where it is geographically, which is what the president has always focused
01:26on when it comes to Greenland, is national security.
01:29It has always played a critical role in national security.
01:31It is more pronounced now, not just because of defenses against missiles, but because of the Arctic.
01:36And you now have a place that is not – we now have an agreement in place that will exist
01:40in perpetuity
01:41that ensures not just the equities of North America, meaning the United States and Canada, but all of our partners
01:46in NATO as well.
01:48And so it's very solid in that regard, and we think it's a very positive deal,
01:52and one that I think gave us what the president was most interested in, and that is protecting not just
01:57the national security of the United States,
01:59but the security of our allies in NATO and in North America.
02:02Okay.
02:04I'm going to –
