The tone rises in the northern hemisphere. Outgoing Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute Egede denounced on Monday March 24, a “foreign interference” on the occasion of the visit next Thursday of an American delegation in Greenland, Danish autonomous territory coveted by Donald Trump. “It should be noted that our integrity and our democracy must be respected without any external interference,” said the 30 -year -old on Facebook. He said there would be “no meeting” with this delegation, which includes, according to Mute Egede, the American national security advisor Mike Waltz and the wife of the American vice-president JD Vance, USHA Vance. The latter had already visited Germany and France in February, accompanied by her husband.
The White House announced Sunday that the “second lady” would be on an official visit from Thursday to Saturday in Greenland to attend in particular a national trainee dog race. For his part, Mike Waltz, accompanied by the Energy Secretary, Chris Wright, is expected to go to an American military base, said two American officials. “The United States has a small anti-missile defense base in the northern part of the island and maintain troops in Greenland since the Second World War,” said the New York Times.
But Mute Egede is absolutely not sensitive to this sudden interest in his country, openly coveted by the Trump administration. In mid-March, the 47th American president estimated that the annexation by the United States would end up “arriving” and that it would promote “international security”. Large as four times France, Greenland has a strategic interest because of its location – it is on the shortest route for possible missiles between the United States and Russia – and its mineral wealth.
All the main Greenlandic parties are favorable to the independence of the territory in more or less long term, and none supports the idea of attachment to the United States. According to a survey commissioned by the Danish newspaper Berlingske In January, only 6 % of Greenlanders are in favor of integration into the United States.
“The only goal is to demonstrate its power over us”
If the Trump administration presents this visit as a friendly, the Greenlanders are therefore increasingly suspicious of Donald Trump’s intentions. “We are now at a point where it is no longer an innocent visit to the wife of a politician,” said Mute Egede, hammering that “the international community” should “react”.
And the Prime Minister does not mince words, qualifying this delegation of senior officials sent by the Trump administration “extremely aggressive”. In a local newspaper, the manager deplored that the diplomatic efforts of the Greenlanders “only bounce back on Donald Trump and his administration”. “The new American administration is completely laughing at what we have built together. Now, its only objective is to seize our country, without consulting us,” he said, considering that the visit of the American delegation on Groenland soil is proof. And to send a last spike: “Why would a national security advisor go to Greenland? […] The only goal is to demonstrate its power over us. Its only presence in Greenland will strengthen the conviction of the Americans with regard to the feasibility of the annexation and the pressure will increase after this visit “.
Since the defeat of his ecological leftist party in the legislative elections, Mute Egede has directed the acting Greenland pending the formation of a new government. His probable successor, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, chief of the center-winning center of the ballot, recently described as “displaced” the words of Donald Trump on a future annexation of the Greenland.
Other Greenlandic officials complained of the inappropriate moment of the visit, stressing that the territory of more than 50,000 inhabitants had just organized parliamentary elections and that a new government had not even been trained yet. “It is clear that the Trump camp does not respect our right to self -determination without an external interference,” added on Facebook Aaja Chemnitz, Greenlandic deputy in the Danish parliament. Local elections in Greenland must take place on April 1.