Donald Trump Jr, the son of the American president-elect, visited Greenland on Tuesday “as a tourist”, while his father has been increasing provocations for some time by evoking a possible annexation of the autonomous Danish territory. In 2019, he had already mentioned its takeover by the United States.
His plane marked “Trump” landed shortly before 2:00 p.m. (Swiss time) at Nuuk airport. Questioned by the Greenlandic public channel KNR, Donald Trump Jr assured that he was there as a “tourist” and that he had not planned any official meetings. He stayed there for a few hours before leaving.
But if this trip is probably just symbolic, even provocative, it takes place in a particular context, less than two weeks before Donald Trump takes office in the White House. Indeed, just before Christmas, the president-elect declared that “for national security and freedom around the world, the United States believes that ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.”
New provocations from Trump
A desire for annexation that he reiterated on Tuesday, concomitantly with the displacement of his son. Asked about the issue of Greenland and Panama (see 2nd box) During a press conference in his Florida residence, he refused to rule out the use of force to seize these territories. “I can’t assure you about either of them,” he said, in a provocative tone, assuring that this would be “very important for the economic security” of the United States.
He urged Denmark to “give up” on this autonomous territory.
“Greenland is an incredible place and its people, if and when they become part of our nation, will benefit enormously,” he had already written the day before on his Truth Social network.
“We are not for sale”
“Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders,” retorted Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in this context. “The United States is our closest ally,” she stressed.
“Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and never will be,” wrote the head of the Greenlandic government Mute Egede on Facebook following a first suggestion of annexation before Christmas.
“No thank you,” also said MP Aaja Chemnitz, who represents Greenland in the Danish Parliament. “Unbelievable that some people can be so naive as to think that our happiness is achieved by becoming American citizens,” she wrote on Facebook, refusing to “be a pawn in Trump’s burning dreams of expanding his empire to our country.”
Mineral resources, sand and strategic position
Greenland arouses desire for its natural resources, although oil prospecting and uranium exploitation are prohibited, and for its geostrategic importance. The United States has already had a military base there since the Second World War.
The autonomous Danish territory also holds impressive reserves of sand, a highly prized resource for construction, which is becoming rarer, and whose global market is estimated at around a hundred billion dollars.
>> Listen to this column from 2019 on this subject:
With these resources, the territory — autonomous since 1979 — is today seeking to gain sovereignty, but remains financially dependent on Copenhagen, from whom it still receives nearly a fifth of its annual GDP in the form of subsidies.
During his wishes this year, the Greenlandic Prime Minister, however, affirmed that the territory must take “a step forward” and shape its future, particularly in terms of “trade partners”.
Pierrik Jordan with AFP
