COPENHAGEN: Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede emphasised his need to pursue independence from Denmark, its former colonial ruler, throughout his New Yr speech, marking a major change within the rhetoric surrounding the Arctic island’s future.
Egede’s speech, which comes on the heels of feedback by US President-elect Donald Trump expressing his wish for “ownership and control” of Greenland, additionally expressed a need to strengthen Greenland’s cooperation with different nations.
“It’s about time that we ourselves take a step and form our future, additionally with regard to who we’ll cooperate intently with, and who our buying and selling companions can be,” he mentioned.
An independence motion has gained traction in Greenland lately partly on account of revelations of misconduct by Danish authorities in the course of the twentieth century, together with an involuntary contraception marketing campaign launched within the Sixties.
Greenland was a Danish colony till 1953 however is now a self-governing territory of Denmark and in 2009 achieved the appropriate to assert independence by means of a vote. In 2023, Greenland’s authorities introduced its first draft structure.
“The historical past and present situations have proven that our cooperation with the Kingdom of Denmark has not succeeded in creating full equality,” Egede mentioned.
“It’s now time for our nation to take the following step. Like different nations on the planet, we should work to take away the obstacles to cooperation – which we are able to describe because the shackles of colonialism – and transfer ahead,” he mentioned.
He added that it was as much as the folks of Greenland to determine on independence however didn’t say when a vote may very well be held.
Whereas a majority of Greenland’s 57,000 inhabitants help independence, there’s division over the timing and potential impression on dwelling requirements.
Greenland’s authorities has twice rejected provides by Trump to buy the island, in 2019 and once more final yr, with Egede asserting that “Greenland is ours. We’re not on the market and can by no means be on the market.”
The speech didn’t point out Trump or the USA. Greenland’s capital Nuuk is nearer to New York than the Danish capital Copenhagen.
Regardless of the wealth of mineral, oil, and pure fuel sources, Greenland’s financial system stays fragile, closely depending on fishing and annual grants from Denmark.
Greenland is because of maintain parliamentary elections earlier than Apr 6.
