Denmark’s foreign minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, announces Denmark’s concerns over the growing number of reports regarding US spy agencies and their efforts to collect information from Greenland. The minister says he will summon the US ambassador with intentions to address a report containing information that instructs Washington spy agencies to focus on Greenland, amidst Donald Trump’s threats to take over the island.
According to The Wall Street Journal, US spy agencies were specifically assigned to focus their efforts on the country’s independence movement and to consider the US administration’s goals to extract rare mineral resources from Greenland. Minister Rasmussen said the information in the report was “very worrying” and said, “We don’t spy between friends.”
President Trump has repeatedly stated his interest in taking over Greenland and gaining access to the island’s rare earth minerals. He has even admitted to several news sources that he has not yet ruled out using military force to seize the frozen island. President Trump told BBC News, “I don’t say I’m going to do it, but I don’t rule out anything,” he said. “We need Greenland very badly. Greenland is a very small amount of people, which we’ll take care of, and we’ll cherish them, and all of that. But we need that for international security.” Greenland’s leading political parties have issued a joint statement, showing unity among the members as they say they “cannot accept the repeated statements about annexation and control of Greenland.” Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, added to the joint statement, telling the Associated Press, “You cannot spy against an ally.”
In addition, the citizens of Greenland have responded to President Trump’s plans and the government’s rebuttal. A January poll commissioned by a Danish newspaper was made public to Greenland citizens.
Voters were asked, “Do you want Greenland to leave the Commonwealth and instead become part of the United States?”, to which they responded in the vast majority.
The poll revealed that 85 percent of participating Greenland voters said they do not want Greenland to hand over power to the United States. The same poll showed that 45 percent of voters label Donald Trump’s plans for taking over the island a threat.
When taking into account President Trump’s plans and the recent spy reports, the numerous responses from Denmark’s government, Greenland’s government, and Greenland citizens, the Kingdom of Denmark is not willing to give up its control over Greenland. And Greenland is not ready to lose their independence to the United States.
Sources:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0eley5gy8wo
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2ljrjeqzq4o
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