Copenhagen (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – On Sunday, Greenland’s newly elected Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, made his first visit to Denmark since assuming office, coinciding with U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement to annex the island.
As the US set its ambitions on the island, Greenland’s ruling party has worked more on its relations with Denmark, as Nielsen rejected Trump’s plans. Earlier this month, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen visited the island to bolster the ties between her country and Greenland and stated that “you cannot annex other countries.”
Jens-Frederik Nielsen will head Greenland’s new coalition government following his centre-right Democrats party’s victory in a March legislative election. It will be his inaugural visit to Denmark.
What are Nielsen’s priorities during his Denmark visit?
“First and foremost, I will continue talks with the Prime Minister regarding the geopolitical context and cooperation,”
Nielsen said in a statement this week, addressing Frederiksen.
“It is necessary that we plan our future cooperation in these times,”
he continued.
In a release announcing the visit, the Danish government indicated collaboration between Greenland and Denmark would be the “focus” of Nielsen’s visit. On his two-day visit to Copenhagen, Nielsen also will meet Denmark’s King Frederik and members of the Danish parliament. Nielsen will remain in Denmark until tomorrow in order to “resume talks with the Prime Minister [Frederiksen] on the geopolitical context and cooperation” before going back to the island along with Danish King Frederik X.
How is Trump insisting on acquiring Greenland?
US-Denmark tensions have escalated after Trump kept repeating that he wished to seize the resource-rich Arctic island. The US president has demanded Washington needs Greenland for security purposes, and he refused to rule out using force to acquire it.
“I believe we need it for world peace, and if we don’t have it,, it’s a tremendous threat to our world. I believe Greenland is extremely important for world peace,”
Trump said to reporters Thursday during a press conference with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store.
How has Vance’s visit affected US-Denmark relations?
Moreover, US Vice President JD Vance also visited Greenland in March earlier, which had been considered a provocation by both Nuuk and Copenhagen. When he visited the Pituffik US military base, Vance criticised Denmark for failing to “do a good job by the people of Greenland.”.
“You have under-invested in the people of Greenland, and you have under-invested in the security architecture of this amazing, stunning piece of land,”
he said in a press conference.
