There are mixed feelings among Greenlanders about US President-elect Donald Trump’s renewed interest in their country. While some have greeted it enthusiastically, others say the semi-autonomous territory of Denmark is not for sale.
Trump, who takes office on January 20, said on Monday that US control of the strategically important Arctic island was an “absolute necessity”, and at a press conference on Tuesday, he did not rule out using military or economic action to make it happen.
The same day, Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., made a private visit to the country.
‘Can’t Take Him Seriously’
Mikael Ludvidsen, a resident of capital Nuuk, was skeptical about the president-elect’s intentions, telling Reuters: “I think he’s talking too loudly. I don’t think you can take him seriously when he says he’s going to take us over by force.”
“I think it’s too much,” said local Niels Nielsen. Greenland “can’t be bought,” he added.
But others said aligning with a superpower might be helpful for Greenland, which has a population of just 57,000 people.
Resident Jens Ostermann, carrying a small child bundled up against the winter cold, said: “We should partner with a great power because Greenland is a rich country, we have everything here.”
PM Urges Calm
Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede has urged residents to remain calm and united. But he has also emphasized his desire for Greenland to become fully independent from Denmark, its former colonial ruler.
Some locals sported Make America Great Again caps to greet Trump Jr., with Greenlandic daily Sermitsiaq headlining its report: “Warm but reserved welcome for Donald Trump Jr.”
Opinions among Greenlanders about the future of their country are divided, according to Aki-Matilda Hoegh-Dam, a member of Greenland’s social-democratic Siumut party in the Danish parliament.
“Trump’s reaction is a statement of how important Greenland is in the geopolitical area at this moment,” she said.
Greenland Independent?
Greenland may become independent if its residents want, but is unlikely to become a US state, Denmark’s foreign minister said on Wednesday after Trump’s press conference.
Greenland’s leader met with the Danish king in Copenhagen on Wednesday, a day after Trump’s remarks thrust the fate of the mineral-rich and strategically important island, which is under Danish rule, to the top of world headlines.
Greenland, the world’s biggest island, has been part of Denmark for 600 years although its 57,000 people now govern their own domestic affairs. The island’s government led by Prime Minister Mute Egede aims for eventual independence.
“We fully recognise that Greenland has its own ambitions. If they materialise, Greenland will become independent, though hardly with an ambition to become a federal state in the United States,” Danish foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said.
(With inputs from Reuters)
