Danish Foreign Minister: Greenlanders Absolutely Won’t Be Tempted by U.S. Money

The much-watched tripartite talks between Greenland, Denmark, and the United States concluded in Washington on the 14th. Danish Foreign Minister Rasmussen stated in an interview with American media that he is certain Greenlanders will not be tempted by U.S. money to join the United States.

According to CNA reports, after the trilateral talks, Rasmussen was interviewed by Fox News. In the interview, he stated that this meeting was an excellent opportunity to explain Denmark’s and Greenland’s positions to their American allies. The three parties have long maintained a close alliance, and Denmark’s diplomatic relations with the United States are especially longstanding, with 225 years of uninterrupted exchanges.

He said that the three parties had a consensus on Arctic security issues, but disagreed that only by the United States invading Greenland could local security be maintained. He believes that this meeting brought the variety of discussions previously seen on the internet and in the media to a more formal level, which is very positive.

In the interview, when asked about the relationship between Denmark and Greenland, he explained that Greenland is a member of the Kingdom of Denmark, and they share a long history together. Currently, about 17,000 Greenlanders live in Denmark, which is about one third of the total number of Greenlanders. Meanwhile, among people living in Greenland, roughly one in ten is Danish. Their relationship is very close.

During the interview, the host asked Rasmussen whether he believed the United States could persuade Greenlanders to vote to leave Denmark by offering payments greater than Danish subsidies to each Greenlander.

Poll: 6% of Greenlanders Want to Be American

Rasmussen said, of course it's possible for the United States to do that, but Greenlanders would not accept it. He said a recent poll shows only 6% of Greenlanders want to become Americans.

The host then asked, what if $500,000 were given to each person? Wouldn’t they vote to leave Denmark? Rasmussen asserted firmly: impossible. He added the United States would also never be able to offer Scandinavian-style social welfare in Greenland.

He further said, it’s already 2026; it’s okay to make deals with people, but people should not be treated as commodities to be traded. This is Denmark’s bottom line.