Mette Frederiksen said she was visiting to show “strong support” to the people of Greenland. Her visit comes amid a turbulent week in which President Trump backed down on his bid to forcibly annex the Arctic island.
Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, arrived in Greenland on Friday in a show of solidarity for the Arctic island that US President Donald Trump still has his sights firmly set on.
It’s been a turbulent week that has seen Trump back down from threats to seize the Arctic island and agree to negotiationswhile also putting relations with European allies to the test.
Trump has repeatedly stated that the US “needs” Greenland for its “national security,” pointing to his claims — without providing evidence — that the island is “covered with Chinese and Russian ships all over the place.”
Frederiksen welcomed by Greenland’s PM
Frederiksen touched down in Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, and was welcomed on the tarmac by Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, with the two embracing, before continuing inside for talks.
Earlier in the day, Fredriksen spoke with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels on how security could be boosted in the region.
“We are preparing the next steps,” Frederiksen told reporters while walking alongside Nielsen in central Nuuk. “I’m first and foremost here to show our strong support for Greenland’s people as a difficult time.”
Trump seeking ‘total access’ to Greenland
Trump on Thursday said that details of his bid to gain “total access” to the semi-autonomous Danish territory were being worked out.
Trump and Rutte agreed on what the US leader called a “framework,” although the details of what this involves have yet to be disclosed.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said as much on Friday, pointing out that no detailed plan had been hammered out between Trump and Rutte, but rather there was a “framework for a future agreement.”
He said, “Instead of those drastic ideas about needing to own Greenland… (Trump) now wishes to negotiate a solution.”
Source : https://www.dw.com/en/denmarks-pm-visits-greenland-to-show-support/a-75633439