Czech opposition parties expressed their support for Denmark and Greenland and their right to self-determination, at a press conference of the leaders of the Pirates, Civic Democrats (ODS), Mayors and Independents (STAN), Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) and TOP 09 in the lower house yesterday.
In their joint statement, the opposition leaders criticised the government for not clearly standing up for its allies. They said Prime Minister Andrej Babis (ANO) was not decisive at all, and therefore the opposition parties must take the initiative.
Foreign Minister Petr Macinka (Motorists) told CTK that he was keeping his fingers crossed for the opposition if it believed that its “cute statement” would bring world peace. He will discuss the matter next week with his European counterparts, including the Danish foreign minister.
Europe is under pressure from US President Donald Trump, who is demanding the handover of Greenland, a semi-autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
Pirate Party leader Zdenek Hrib and Pirate Party MP Katerina Demetrashvili yesterday delivered the joint statement to Danish Ambassador Soren Kelstrup. The letter, signed by the leaders of the five opposition parties, expresses respect for Denmark’s territorial integrity. “We fully respect the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark and the right of the people of Greenland to freely and democratically decide on their political future,” it reads.
Any interference with sovereignty is unacceptable and contrary to international law, the opposition parties wrote.
Hrib said that the situation was serious and that the U.S. threat must also be taken seriously. “An attack by one NATO member on another would mean the beginning of the end of NATO and a redrawing of the global security architecture,” he said.
He added that the cabinet hopes that it will be enough to dance around the issue. “That is why we are taking the initiative to show that there is a significant political force that is not afraid to express its unequivocal support for its NATO allies,” he said.
“If the opposition thinks that their cute statements will bring world peace, then I wish them luck,” said Macinka in response to the letter. “I see the solution more in careful diplomatic negotiations,” he said. He added that he will personally discuss Greenland next week with Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and other colleagues from Europe.
On Monday, asked whether he could unequivocally say on behalf of the Czech government that the Czech Republic supports Greenland, Babis said that he could not. The Prime Minister later advocated a diplomatic solution to the dispute, saying that Denmark and the United States were NATO allies and should come to an agreement. According to the opposition, his stance shows that he is a weak prime minister. “If the prime minister behaves like a coward, we cannot remain silent,” said STAN chairman Vit Rakusan.
ODS leader Martin Kupka said it is in the Czech Republic’s interest to preserve the integrity of NATO and prevent potential conflicts. The Czech Republic should support its European allies, who have been threatened by Trump with tariffs due to their stance. “There should be clear opposition to such threats,” said Kupka.
On Tuesday, the Pirates failed to secure a debate on the position on Greenland on the agenda of the lower house defence committee. According to Kupka, the opposition will also try to raise the issue through its Senate groups.
According to KDU-CSL leader Marek Vyborny, the statement is a clear message from representatives of almost half of the Chamber of Deputies. He said it was alarming that the government was unable to take a clear stance of support for its European partners. He added that Denmark is closer to the Czech Republic in some respects than some of the Visegrad Group (V4) countries (Slovakia, Poland and Hungary). He recalled Denmark’s role in helping Ukraine and cooperating on the Czech-run ammunition initiative.
“As opposition parties, we are standing in for the government in sending a clear message to our allies,” said TOP 09 leader Matej Ondrej Havel. Those who are unable to clearly state today that Greenland is Danish may not be able to clearly state in the future that the Czech Republic is Czech, he warned.
