At loggerheads with Trump, Greenland PM skips opening of new US consulate in Nuuk

Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsentidak will not attend the opening of the new United States consulate in Nuuk, the country's capital, amid tensions in relations with Washington.

To the newspaper Sermitsiaq, Nielsen said that he decided not to attend the inauguration ceremony of the new consulate building in Nuuk.

"We have not made a decision in principle, but I will not participate," Nielsen said, quoted by ANTARA from Anadolu, Friday, May 22.

He could not confirm whether other members of his administration would attend.

The US Consulate has invited officials and guests to attend a reception marking the opening of the new consulate. However, according to Sermitsiaq, many invitations declined to attend due to the current political climate in the country.

Tensions between Greenland and Washington are still high after US President Donald Trump repeatedly expressed his interest in gaining ownership or control of Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory rich in natural resources and strategically located in the Arctic.

On Monday (18/5), Greenland parliament member, Naaja H. Nathanielsen, also announced that he had declined invitations to attend events from the US consulate.

"I have explained it, saying the situation between our countries is difficult at the moment," Nathanielsen said on the social media platform Facebook.