His announcement came before a visit by the country’s Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, to Berlin, Paris and Brussels this week to shore up “European unity” on Greenland.
“Europe is facing a serious situation. With war on the continent and shifts in the geopolitical reality. In moments like this, unity is crucial,” Frederiksen said.
She said she would meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, plus Mark Rutte, secretary-general of the Nato transatlantic defence alliance.
“Denmark is a small country with strong allies. And it is part of a strong European community where together we can meet the challenges we face,” Frederiksen said.
Meanwhile, Greenland’s Trade and Justice Minister said on Monday the Greenlandic people were experiencing a “worrying time” following Trump’s remarks about taking control of the territory,
For Naaja Nathanielsen, Greenlanders are “concerned” by Donald Trump’s various statements signalling his desire for the Arctic island to become part of the United States.
“As a government our job is not to panic and figure out what the actual demands are,” Nathanielsen said.
“If it is about military presence, the US has been here for 80 years, we are not opposed to that. If it is about the minerals, it is an open market,” she said.
Finally, “if it is about expansionism, we are a democracy, we are allies and we ask our allies to respect our institutions”, the minister said, noting there was some confusion about the “rhetoric”.
Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute Egede has insisted “that Greenland is not for sale”, but that the territory was open to doing business with the US.
The world’s largest island – whose capital, Nuuk, is closer to New York than Copenhagen – holds vast, untapped mineral and oil resources.
US moves have reignited the independence debate in the territory.
Greenland is scheduled to call elections before April 6, when the question of independence is expected to top the agenda.
Economically, Greenland depends on subsidies from Copenhagen equivalent to a fifth of its GDP and on its fishing sector, and wants to diversify its economy.
“We can’t depend on one industry; we do need a strong fishing sector, but there is also mining, tourism, green power,” Nathanielsen said.
“Independence is more than economic figures, it also depends on the welfare-state level we’re aiming for,” she said.
– Agence France-Presse
