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Denmark to command NATO's northen fleet: defense minister

Xinhua, May 4, 2017 Adjust font size:

Denmark will be given the command of NATO's fleet in the North Atlantic from the beginning of 2018, local media cited Defense Minister Claus Hjort Frederiksen as saying on Thursday.

Frederiksen made the announcement during a visit to the Danish frigate Peter Willemoes, which is currently helping to fight IS as part of a U.S. carrier group in the Persian Gulf, according to English newspaper The Copenhagen Post.

"We know the Baltic Sea is becoming a more and more important area in light of the Russian escalation, and we can see we need a more powerful presence in our own region," the minister said.

"We see a military escalation at the border of the Baltic nations and Poland. It's important we are visibly present, so they know that provocation will have consequences," he added.

NATO's fleet in the North Atlantic, known as the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1), consists of several ships from various nations.

Denmark will take over SNMG1 command from Norway in what Frederiksen said as a vote of confidence in the Danish Navy, the paper said. Endit