Donald Trump Jr visited Greenland this Monday, January 6, a few days after the leader of the autonomous territory of Denmark launched a campaign in favor of independence, and while his father shows renewed interest in ” property » of the island.
The head of Greenland’s Department of Foreign Affairs, Mininnguaq Kleist, told Danish public radio DR that Donald Trump Jr’s visit had taken place in a private capacity, and that there had been no request for a meeting with the Greenland government.
According to a Greenlandic political source, however, the son of the re-elected US president could meet the leader of the Social Democratic Party, Erik Jensen. The latter holds the position of Minister of Finance and Taxes in the Greenlandic government.
The office of Greenland’s Prime Minister, Múte Egede, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But while the prime minister’s official schedule does not indicate any meeting with Donald Trump Jr, the source said a meeting between the two could still take place.
A spokesperson for the Danish Foreign Ministry told EURACTIV that it “was not an official visit from the United States.”
In recent days, Múte Egede has stepped up his rhetoric on independence from Denmark. In his annual New Year’s speech, he called on Greenland to work towards “remove obstacles to cooperation” with other countries, obstacles that he describes as “the chains of colonialism”.
Aaja Chemnitz, a member of the Prime Minister’s party and a Greenlandic member of the Danish Parliament, discussed the visit of Donald Trump’s son on social media, writing that “we need to improve” to say no to the future American president. “I don’t want to be a pawn in the big dreams of [Donald] Trump to extend his empire to our country. »
Since his re-election, the American president-elect has expressed his wish to “own and control” Greenland.
Greenland’s government has twice rejected Donald Trump’s offers to buy the island, in 2019 and then last year. Múte Egede had stated that “Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and never will be”.
Despite its rich mineral, oil and natural gas resources, Greenland’s economy remains fragile and relies heavily on fishing and annual subsidies from Denmark.
[Édité par Alice Bergoënd]
