Pandemic or not, the American president is not one to easily give up on his fads, especially when they come in the form of a showdown with Beijing. The proof: in August 2019, Donald Trump had seriously proposed to buy Greenland from Denmark, which had politely declined, judging the project "Absurd". Never mind: the United States has decided to give generous financial assistance to the autonomous province of 56,000 inhabitants.
The Danes discovered the rose pot in a long column published on April 20 on the political information site Altinget, by the controversial American ambassador in Copenhagen, Carla Sands. This close friend of Donald Trump talks about the importance of seeing the Arctic and Greenland develop, but on condition that "It is not at the expense of security and sustainable development".
In addition to Moscow's forced remilitarization in the region, the ambassador mentioned the appetites of China, which is involved in several large mining projects in Greenland. So many threats in the eyes of the United States, which considers the province as "A loyal ally" and announced in 2019 the opening of an American consulate there. With his support, Washington wants "Helping Greenland reach its full potential, opening new markets, increasing sustainable tourism and setting new standards of development in the region".
A pretty sum
On April 23, the local government confirmed that the United States had offered him the tidy sum of 83 million Danish crowns (about 11 million euros), which the province did " A joy " to accept. On April 22, Nuuk took care to recall that the collaboration with Washington took place "Within the applicable legal and contractual framework", knowing that diplomacy and defense are the exclusive responsibility of Copenhagen.
Aid should be in place "Mainly in the form of advice and assistance provided by American experts, as well as through existing programs, depending on the US Department of State", said the Greenland government.
In Copenhagen, opinions are divided. Being careful not to ignite the independence feelings of the province, the Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Social Democrat Jeppe Kofod, looks good: "Our priority is that the growing American interest benefits the people of Greenland. "
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