Greenland Residents Now Have Difficulty Sleeping Nyenyak
JAKARTA - US President Donald Trump's statement regarding plans to annex or buy Greenland has caused "great concern" among local communities.
The Greenland Energy Minister said that some residents even reported experiencing symptoms of difficulty sleeping.
Greenland's Minister of Business and Mineral Resources, Naaja Nathanielsen, said the prime minister and all leaders of political parties in Greenland had stated very clearly that the region "has no intention of becoming part of the United States."
"It's not something we aspire to or fight for. However, over the years we have indeed built a close cooperation with the United States. We are US allies, but we do not see ourselves as part of America," Nathanielsen said at an event in the British parliament in London. reported by ANTARA from Anadolu, Wednesday, January 14.
Nathanielsen said many Greenlanders felt "betrayed" by Trump's rhetoric on the island.
He assessed that the public was uneasy with messages from the US regarding the possibility of annexation or purchase of Greenland.
"We feel that the rhetoric is offensive, as we have said many times, and confusing because we have done nothing but support the view that Greenland is part of the national interests of the United States," he said.
"This raises great concerns about the future. Residents report difficulty sleeping. This issue really meets the agenda and becomes a topic of conversation at the household level," he added.
Responding to questions about US concerns regarding the security of the Arctic region as Russia and China's presence increases, Nathanielsen said Russia is an Arctic country, while China has long shown interest in the region.
He added, Greenland has also been encouraging increased monitoring in the Arctic region for years.
"We have no problem with being more aware of what is happening around Greenland. We also have no objection to giving greater access to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Greenland," he said.
"Everything will be attacked"
Regarding the question of whether he expects support from NATO countries in the event of a US invasion, Nathanielsen said that if the scenario actually happened, the world would face a new order.
"This means one country is attacked by another NATO partner. However, in fact, we will all be in a position to be attacked," he said.
According to him, this will reflect the collapse of the rule of law, international law, as well as various existing agreements and treaties.
Nathanielsen's statement came a day before senior Danish and Greenland officials were scheduled to meet with US officials in Washington.
The meeting will be held on Wednesday US time, and will be attended by Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenland Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt.
From the US side, the meeting is scheduled to be attended by Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to media reports.
Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, has long attracted the attention of the US due to its strategic location and mineral resource wealth.
However, Trump's insistence on controlling the island, including statements that did not rule out the use of military force, drew widespread condemnation from various countries.
Trump, known as a property developer, called Greenland's ownership an "absolute necessity" for US economic security, and compared it to a "large-scale property deal."
Denmark and Greenland have jointly rejected the proposal to sell the territory and reaffirmed Denmark's sovereignty over Greenland.
Meanwhile, a number of European countries, including the United Kingdom, are reportedly discussing the possibility of deploying troops in the Danish autonomous region as an effort to ease the security concerns raised by Trump.
Source: Anadolu