Denmark’s Mette Fredericksen says her country remains “Greenland’s closest partner” during her three-day trip to Greenland.
The Danish Prime Minister has pledged to support Greenland against President Donald Trump’s statement of interest in acquiring Danish semi-autonomous territory.
Mette Frederiksen began his three-day trip to the vast Arctic Island less than a week after US Vice President JD Vance visited the territory.
“The US cannot take over Greenland. Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders,” Fredericksen told reporters in the capital, Nuuk on Wednesday.
The Danish leader said he wanted to support Greenland “in a very difficult situation.”
Prior to the visit, she said she was aiming to strengthen Copenhagen’s relationship with the island, but she emphasized the importance of respect when she described it as “a great pressure on Greenland.”
Greenland Prime Minister Jens Frederick Nielsen, who won the parliamentary elections last month and formed the coalition government, welcomed Fredericksen’s trip by saying Denmark remains “Greenland’s closest partner.”
Fredericksen has pledged to do what she can to ensure equal rights for the Greenlanders and Danes within Danish territory.
“More than anything, we need to discuss the situation in foreign and security policy, geopolitics and how we approach this extremely difficult task, because that’s what we’re doing now.”
Nielsen’s new coalition is expected to officially take office on April 7th.
In addition to meeting Nielsen, Fredericksen is expected to meet with his ministerial future Narakarschut during his visit, which is expected to continue until Friday.
Greenland is a mineral-rich, strategically important island, making it accessible due to climate change. Trump says land is important to US security.
The country offers the shortest route from North America to Europe, giving the US the strategic advantage of its early warning systems for military and ballistic missiles.
Relationship of “respect”
The relationship between Greenland and Denmark has been strained after recent revelation of historical abuses by Greenlander under colonial rule. Trump’s interest in Greenland’s rule, part of an international focus focused on competition for influence in the Arctic, has urged Denmark to strengthen its efforts to improve relations with the island.
Nielsen told Reuters late Monday that Greenland would strengthen its ties with Denmark until it could fulfill its ultimate desire to become a sovereign nation.
Experts say the US interest in the acquisition has actually strengthened its relationship with Greenland’s Copenhagen.
Richard Powell, professor of Arctic Studies at Cambridge University, told Al Jazeera that independence remains a “widely popular long-term goal,” but Trump’s interest in the country “has integrated Greenland’s future within the Kingdom of Denmark for at least decades to come.”
Greenland wants to establish a “respectful” relationship with the United States, Nielsen said.
“We don’t respectfully talk about annexation and not respecting Greenland’s acquisition and sovereignty. So let’s start by paying respect to each other and building a great partnership on everything,” he said.
Fredericksen’s visit is primarily about signal assistance at the time of intense scrutiny, said Urik Plum Gad, a scholar at the Danish International Institute.
“It’s important that Denmark signal Greenland that Denmark is Greenland’s closest friend and ally, and it shows the US that it stands behind Greenland,” he said.
When he visited a US military base in northern Greenland last Friday, Vance accused Denmark of not doing a good job of keeping the island safe, and the US proposed better protecting its strategically located territory.
Fredericksen said it is up to the people of Greenland to decide what his future is.
Opinion polls show that while the majority of Greenland’s 57,000 residents support independence from Denmark, many are opposed to the demand for independence, fearing that the island will deteriorate and be exposed to our interests.
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