Members of The Foreign Policy Board, the Parliament Foreign Policy Committee, was recently tricked into attending a virtual meeting with someone pretending to be Belarusian presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya.
Ear dropped that it might not be Tikhanovskaya when she took up the subject with expensive brothels.
The person who claimed to be Tikhanovskaya said she could not get her PC camera to work.
Everything else seemed to be in order in the build-up to the meeting.
Out of the blue, the air turned blue
According to Liberal Party representative Michael Aastrup Jensen, the committee’s deputy chairman, the meeting normally lasted 25 minutes. Discussions mainly concerned the situation in Belarus.
“Suddenly out of the blue, she asks what our position is on the many animal brothels that are in Denmark,” he told TV2. โMartin Lidegaard [the chair] and I looked at each other as if to say, ‘What in the world is this for’? “
However, the committee politely answered her questions and continued the meeting for another 15 minutes.
Lidegaard, a Radical MP, was not amused. “I hope it was just a joke, but I’m obviously worried about whether the participation in the meeting will be abused. It also gives cause for reflection, “he said later in a statement.
A major security breach
The incident constitutes a major security breach, especially as the committee’s activities are usually surrounded by enormous confidentiality.
Participants in meetings are asked to leave their phones outside the door before attending.
Jensen maintains that nothing was said at the virtual meeting that could compromise Danish foreign policy security, and an investigation has been launched into the breach.
The meeting took place on 6 October and lasted for 40 minutes.
Foreign Minister meets Russian counterpart in Moscow today
Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod is scheduled today to meet his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in Moscow. The couple is expected to discuss bilateral relations – particularly regarding security in the Baltic Sea and the Arctic. Kofod intends to raise Russia’s violation of Danish airspace over Bornholm in August, which he says was “a clear reflection of how the increased Russian militarization in the Baltic Sea and the Arctic unfortunately contributes to creating uncertainty and unpredictability”. Kofod is eager to build bridges. โGeographically, there is only the Baltic Sea between Denmark and Russia. But politically, unfortunately, there is a really long way to go between us on many issues such as Ukraine, Syria and international law. Neighbors must be able to talk to each other – although the difficult topics. “Kofod will also meet with representatives of Russian civil society to discuss human rights in the country.
Paludan convinced to get Swedish passport to continue his course
Rasmus Paludan, the leader of the far-right political party Stram Kurs, is convinced that he will get a Swedish passport so that he can enter the country freely to increase awareness of how its immigration policy is a threat to Denmark’s security. His preferred method is to burn a few copies of the Koran. The Swedish authorities have this year prevented him from entering the country – a ban that is contrary to the country’s constitution, according to the lawyer. One of Paludan’s parents is Swedish, and according to Paludan, the Swedish Migration Board recognizes this.
Source: The Nordic Page