While the US proposition to lend Greenland a helping hand hit a sore spot in Denmark and was called “unheard” of and even “reprehensible”, the reactions in Greenland were much warmer.
As long as the exact conditions of the financial help from Washington are unknown, there is no reason to reject it, Greenlandic MPs have said about US Ambassador Carla Sands's pledge of assistance.
In her recent opinion piece in the newspaper Altinget, Sands stated a wish to “cooperate with the entire Danish Realm”, promote entrepreneurship and innovation and stimulate sustainable economic growth in the Arctic. In doing so, the US government is avowedly preparing a substantial package of financial support to promote growth in Greenland.
While the US proposition struck a wrong note in Denmark proper and was called “unheard” of and even “reprehensible”, the reactions from Greenland's two leading parties, social-democratic Siumut and Inuit Ataqatigiit, were much more welcoming.
Aki-Matilda Høegh-Dam from Siumut called the proposition a way of saying “we're open for business”.
Aaja Chemnitz Larsen from Inuit Ataqatigiit said the US move was not surprising, as the interest in Greenland, where the US has had its northernmost base, Thule, since the 1950s, is waxing.
In her opinion piece, Carla Sands warned of threats allegedly posed by America's major competitors in the Arctic, calling Russia “aggressive” and China “greedy and…
