By Anders Berthelsen and Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen
NUUK/COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – The renewed interest by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in Greenland has been greeted enthusiastically by some Greenlanders, although others say the semi-autonomous territory of Denmark is not for sale.
Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, said on Monday that U.S. control of the strategically important Arctic island was an “absolute necessity” and at a press conference on Tuesday 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.
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.”
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.
(Reporting by Anders Berthelsen in Nuuk and Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen in Copenhagen, Additional reporting by Louise Rasmussen in Copenhagen, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
Comments