DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 20 (Reuters) – Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Tuesday that the country strongly opposed any tariffs being imposed by the U.S. to further President Donald Trump’s aim of acquiring Greenland.
Trump announced tariffs on Saturday on imports from European allies that opposed his desire for the United States to take over Greenland, which is an autonomous part of Denmark.
“Canada strongly opposes tariffs over Greenland and calls for focused talks to achieve our shared objectives of security and prosperity in the Arctic,” Carney said at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
Carney voiced his support for Denmark’s sovereignty over Greenland and reiterated Canada’s desire to forge new alliances with like-minded countries as he navigates a tricky relationship with the Trump administration in Washington.
The U.S. President has previously threatened to annex Canada, and early on Tuesday shared an AI image of a map showing Canada and Greenland as part of the United States.
“If great powers abandon even the pretense of rules and values for the unhindered pursuit of their power and interests, the gains from transactionalism will become harder to replicate,” Carney said, without mentioning Trump or the U.S.
Carney, a former head of both the Bank of England and the Bank of Canada who struck a deal with China last week, said it was important for Canada to have a “web of connections”.
“There are very clear guard rails in that relationship,” Carney said of Canada’s deal with China.
“But within those clear guard rails are huge opportunities in energy, both clean and conventional … in agriculture, in financial services, all of which is mutually beneficial.”
(Writing by Bhargav Acharya, Editing by Franklin Paul and Alexander Smith)
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