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Sunday 05.02.2012

Hans left out of the picture as Canadian-Danish military meet

Discussions between Gen. Walter Natynczyk and Admiral Tim Sloth Jorgensen took place over several days last week in Nunavut and Greenland, and were only made public in a Danish news release.

Canada's chief of defence staff met quietly with his Danish counterpart to strengthen military co-operation in the Arctic just days after the Conservative government mounted its display of military prowess in Nunavut, reports the Canadian Press.



The unannounced discussions between Gen. Walter Natynczyk and Admiral Tim Sloth Jorgensen took place over several days last week, and were only made public in a Danish news release.

Ottawa has been silent on the visit, which included a stop at Canada's most northern military outpost, Canadian Forces Station Alert, CP says.

"As the ice melts, it will change shipping routes - probably resulting in a rise in ship traffic," said the Danish military release. "This has led Arctic nations to examine the potential for closer co-operation in the region. Both Denmark and Canada have made moves in that direction."

A spokeswoman for Natynczyk told CP that discussions among military leaders are nothing unusual and don't garner much interest or attention by the media.

"They've met in the past," said Maj. Cindy Tessier. "The CDS (chief of defence staff) has so many counterparts. There was no intent not to be public with this."

But a northern expert says the trip marked the first time a senior foreign military figure had visited Canada's Arctic.

Robert Huebert, of the University of Calgary, questioned whether the tour was kept low-key to avoid diverting attention from Prime Minister Stephen Harper's recent northern tour, which included a photo-op with naval ships, a submarine and CF-18 jet fighters.

Harper's visit was intended to display Canada's military might for a domestic audience grown skeptical about the slow implementation of long-standing Arctic promises, as well as to showcase Canada's resolve to international rivals such as Russia.
Jorgensen's trip to Iqaluit and CFS Alert followed a similar unheralded flight earlier in this summer involving a Danish military Challenger jet, which touched down at various northern Canadian outposts.

After looking at Canadian military installations with Jorgensen, Natynczyk went to Greenland, where he met government leaders, Denmark's military said in the release.

Tessier said the largely classified discussions were broad, touching on Arctic co-operation and the war in Afghanistan, where Denmark has 700 soldiers operating with the British in Helmand province.

She said there was no mention of the diplomatic dispute over Hans Island.