A Danish government official has praised the Greenlandic government for their stance on the US President’s claims of ownership over the Danish island. In a Facebook post, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen expressed her respect for Greenland’s determination in the face of the intense international attention and pressure.
Frederiksen was commenting on a recent radio interview in which US President Donald Trump reiterated his threat to annex Greenland. She warned that the US’s goals had not changed and that they would continue to act in their own interests. The Danish Prime Minister also emphasized that the US was aware that Greenland was not for sale and would not be part of the US.
The US Vice President’s planned visit to a US Air Force base in Pituffik, Greenland, has been replaced with a visit to a NASA facility, following a change in the original plan that included a visit to the capital, Nuuk and a dog sled race with the US Second Lady. The visit was cancelled after criticism from Danish and Greenlandic officials, with the Greenlandic Premier, Múte B. Egede, stating that the visit would show a lack of respect and that it was not a suitable time for such a visit, given the current political situation in Greenland.
Greenland’s parliament has held elections and the country is still in the process of forming a new government. The Danish Prime Minister described the cancelled visit as an unacceptable form of pressure. Activists in Greenland have announced protests against the US delegation and a Greenlandic parliament member, Pipaluk Lynge, stated that the protests would be a political statement from the people of Greenland.
The Danish Defense Minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, viewed the decision to visit the US military base as a wise one, saying it was a more intelligent decision to visit the military base rather than getting involved in Greenland’s politics. According to a recent poll, the majority of Greenlanders, 85%, want to remain part of Denmark and not be part of the US, with 6% wanting to be part of the US and the remaining 9% undecided.