A conflict erupted during a meeting on Tuesday between representatives of Denmark and Greenland, during which Greenlanders expressed a desire to negotiate with the USA independently, and one of the island's representatives accused Denmark of neocolonialism.
The meeting was held via video conference and was convened by the chairman of the Danish Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, Christian Friis Bach. It was intended to discuss the increasing pressure from the USA on Greenland, but tensions quickly escalated during the meeting, reported the Danish national broadcaster DR.
Informed sources told DR that some Greenlanders were furious, while the Danes were in shock. Participants in the meeting spoke in raised voices and exchanged accusations.
Particularly outraged was the head of the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee of the Greenland Parliament, Pipaluk Lynge, who accused Denmark of neocolonialism. Lynge was dissatisfied that representatives of the Greenland government, which is a self-governing territory of Denmark, were not invited to another meeting held the same evening, where Denmark's relations with the USA were discussed.
It is claimed that representatives of the island demanded the opportunity for Greenland to conduct direct negotiations with the USA. This demand shocked Danish representatives, as it contradicts the constitution of the kingdom, which states that the Danish government is responsible for foreign policy.
"We can freely communicate with other countries ourselves, so that we are not held by the hand by Danish ministers," Lynge told DR.
Leave a comment