Greenland reaffirms its autonomy during talks with US official
«It was a constructive meeting, where we were able to have a dialogue in a good spirit and with great mutual respect. » Greenland’s Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, congratulated himself on Monday on his first meeting with the US Commissioner to Greenland, Jeff Landry.
«We clearly reminded that the Greenlandic people are not for sale and that the Greenlanders have the right to self-determination. This is not a subject of negotiation », emphasized Jens-Frederik Nielsen in front of the press.
«This meeting did not show any signs that anything has changed » in the American position, however, he noted.
«Our starting point has not changed. We have our red line. The starting point of the Americans has not changed either », added the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mørte Egede.
Originally governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry landed in Nuuk on Sunday, where he will attend an economic forum organized in the Greenlandic capital on May 19 and 20, before participating in the inauguration of the new premises of the American consulate on the island.
« Our only demand is respect »
After a beginning of the year marked by the desires of the American president to « take control » of the Arctic region, an autonomous Danish territory, Copenhagen and Nuuk obtained the establishment of a working group to discuss the concerns of the United States, particularly regarding their military presence. « Discussions take place within the working group, » emphasized Mørte Egede. We will not have parallel discussions. »
« We have been ready from the start and we have said that we are ready to do more, to take on more responsibilities in terms of national or international security, » Jens-Frederik Nielsen recalled last week. « Our only demand is respect, » he emphasized.
The discussions are led on the American side by a senior official from the State Department, Michael Needham, while Jesper Møller Sørensen, the Danish ambassador to the United States, and Jacob Isbosethsen, a Greenlandic diplomat, lead the negotiations in Washington for Denmark and Greenland respectively. According to the BBC, five meetings have taken place since January.
