Greenland’s Minister for Economy, Naaja Nathanielsen, rejected President Donald Trump’s claims that a concrete framework agreement would grant the United States new rights in the country. “There is no framework agreement” she told the “FAZ”, noting that dialogue must first be initiated. “So far we have received nothing concrete about the topics the Americans wish to discuss” she added.
Nathanielsen expects discussions at the NATO level concerning an increased military presence in the far north, and a trilateral dialogue is underway involving Greenland, the US government and Denmark over defence, national security and the update of a 1951 agreement on military presence.
She also said that media reports about mineral resources had not yet yielded any concrete information from the US administration. The minister, who also oversees Greenland’s resources, noted that Trump had told “Fox Business News” that “we are getting everything we want – absolute security, unrestricted access to everything”. According to Nathanielsen, only a statement of intent exists at present, and in the past year there has been no heightened interest from US companies in extracting resources in Greenland.
Nevertheless, Greenland remains open to investment. “We are very interested in developing investment ties with the United States, but we want them to use the proper channels” she said. “They must adhere to our rules and regulations, and at a minimum, respect international law. If those conditions are met, we welcome them” Nathanielsen concluded.