Greenland’s Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, met on Monday with the US special envoy to the Arctic, describing it as both respectful and constructive. He underscored the Greenlandic people’s commitment to self-determination. As a semiautonomous territory of Denmark, a NATO ally, Greenland has continually emphasised its sovereignty.
Previously, President Donald Trump has advocated US control of the island for security reasons, raising significant concerns about sovereignty and prompting responses from both Greenlandic and Danish leaders.
“The Greenlandic people are not for sale. Greenlandic self-determination is not something that can be negotiated,” Nielsen was quoted by Danish TV 2 as saying after meeting on the island with the envoy, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry.
Nielsen highlighted the Greenlandic people’s commitment to fostering positive cooperation with the United States. He noted that his courtesy meeting with Landry was characterised by mutual respect and a constructive atmosphere.
Upon his arrival in Greenland on Sunday, Landry remarked that he had been instructed by President Trump to “go over there and make as many friends as possible,” as reported by public Danish broadcaster DR. Greenland’s Foreign Minister, Múte B. Egede, addressed reporters on Monday, indicating that a collaborative working group involving representatives from the United States, Greenland, and Denmark is actively pursuing a resolution to the ongoing US requests for control over Greenland. President Trump has also expressed concerns about potential actions by Russia or China regarding Greenland, a perspective that regional experts have largely dismissed.
“We haven’t been the ones creating obstacles to cooperation between the United States and Greenland,” said the Greenlandic foreign minister, who also participated in the meeting with Landry and his delegation in the Greenlandic capital of Nuuk.
“So if we are to continue down this positive and constructive path, we must await the working group’s report,” he said, according to TV 2, adding that the work in the group appears “more promising” than before.
US Ambassador to Denmark, Ken Howery, will inaugurate the new US Consulate offices in Nuuk and attend a business fair on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to local media.
This article used information from The Associated Press.
