Denmark Prime Minister promised to support Greenland against the interest of US President Donald Trump in acquiring the territory. The ruler landed in the Greenland capital Nuuk on Wednesday (2) for conversations with her new government.
Mette Frederiksen began his three-day trip to the Arctic island less than a week after a visit to the territory by US Vice President Jd Vance, who received a cold reception from Denmark and Greenland authorities.
“The US will not take Greenland. Greenland belongs to the Greenlandes,” Frederiksen told reporters in the capital Nuuk shortly after his arrival.
The Danish leader said she wanted to support Greenland “in a very, very difficult situation.”
Before her visit, she said she intended to strengthen Copenhagen’s ties with the island and emphasized the importance of respectful cooperation at a time of what she described as “great pressure on Greenland.” Greenland is a semiautonoma island under Danish control.
Greenland’s new Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, who won the parliamentary elections in March and will form a coalition government, celebrated Frederiksen’s trip, saying that Denmark remains “the closest partner of Greenland.”
Frederiksen promised to do what he could to guarantee equal rights for Greenlandes and Danish within the Danish kingdom.
“Above all, we need to discuss the situation of foreign policy and security, geopolitics and how we address this very, very difficult task together, because that’s what it is now.”
Nielsen’s new coalition must formally take office on April 7.
Relations between Greenland and Denmark were tense after revelations in the last years of historical abuse to the Greenlandes under colonial rule. Trump’s interest in controlling Greenland, part of a growing international focus on the competition by arctic influence, led Denmark to intensify efforts to improve relationships with the island.
Nielsen told Reuters on Monday that Greenland would strengthen her ties with Denmark until she could make her final desire to become a sovereign nation.
Meanwhile, Greenland wants to establish a “respectful” relationship with the United States, he said.
“Talking about annexation and talking about acquiring Greenland and not respecting sovereignty is not respectful. So let’s start being respectful with each other and build a great partnership in everything,” he said.
Frederiksen’s visit is mainly to signal support at a moment of intense scrutiny, said Ulrik Pram Gad, an academic from the Danish Institute of International Studies.
“It is important to signal to Greenland that Denmark is the closest friend and ally of Greenland – and for the US that she supports the island,” he said.
During his visit to a US military base in northern Greenland on Friday (28), Vance accused Denmark of not doing a good job of keeping the island safe and suggested that the United States would better protect strategically localized territory.
Frederiksen, who said it is up to the Greenland people to decide their own future, called Vance’s description of Denmark “unfair.”
Opinion surveys show that most of the 57,000 Greenland inhabitants support Denmark’s independence, but many oppose to seek independence very quickly, fearing that their island can worsen and expose themselves to US interests.
This content was originally published in USA will not take Greenland, says Denmark Prime Minister on CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
