00:00.
00:05Joining me is Greenland.
00:10The Prime Minister for Business, Energy and Mineral Resources, Naya Nathanielsen.
00:15Her government is now entering talks with the US and Denmark over the future.
00:20President Donald Trump is still seeking an unprecedented
00:25foothold in the Arctic island, despite climbing down on his previous threats.
00:30Minister, thank you so much.
00:35Thank you so much for joining us.
00:36It's a pleasure to have you.
00:37Thank you for having me.
00:38So can I first ask you to reflect...
00:40on the dramatic recent few days when the future of...
00:45Greenland was really in the balance.
00:47After all of this, can Greenlanders...
00:50still consider Trump's America to be their ally and friend.
00:55If I reflect back on the last 14 days and so, I think...
01:00it was...
01:01we saw an increased rhetoric regarding Greenland in terms of the American interest, but...
01:05mind you, the US have had an interest in Greenland for the past many years actually, more than...
01:10hundred of years.
01:11So we are quite used to this interest from the US and we do...
01:15realize that we are part of that national security interest sphere.
01:19So that part is not...
01:20new to us.
01:21Of course, there has been an increased rhetoric about buying or acquiring...
01:25Greenland or even taking us by force.
01:27We are not a territory.
01:28We are a country.
01:30equal...
01:31equal country within the Kingdom of Denmark.
01:34And...
01:35we are a people in our own right, acknowledged by law and therefore...
01:40of course, it would be a great and grave violation of international law if...
01:44if any...
01:45anything was to happen without our consent.
01:47Trump has obviously climbed down.
01:50on his most threatening rhetoric.
01:53But you are now entering...
01:55talks with his administration as well as with Denmark on a future kind of...
02:00a framework deal.
02:01Trump says that a framework deal does exist.
02:04Are you aware...
02:05of that framework and what does it entail?
02:07There is no deal yet.
02:10what we have is an agreement to venture into a dialogue between...
02:14it's going to...
02:15be...
02:16I think...
02:17maybe a number of different dialogues.
02:18I think there will be a NATO-led...
02:20dialogue that has to do with maybe...
02:22an increased presence from NATO and...
02:25in the high north...
02:26that could be Greenland.
02:27We would welcome that.
02:29Then there would be...
02:30these trilateral dialogues between the US on one side and the...
02:35Kingdom of Denmark consistent in this part of...
02:37Greenland and Denmark on the other side.
02:39And we still...
02:40have to gain clarity about what is...
02:42what is the American interest.
02:45concretely because we really haven't heard anything yet.
02:49And then there might...
02:50be something regarding...
02:52a more...
02:53a closure business type.
02:55there...
02:56and that would be a whole other dialogue as well.
02:59You mentioned...
03:00that you are...
03:01a country...
03:02you are...
03:03a people...
03:04and your Prime Minister has...
03:05said that Greenland's sovereignty and...
03:08integrity of its borders cannot...
03:10be violated...
03:11it's non-negotiable.
03:12Yet...
03:13Trump is saying in public...
03:14that he wants...
03:15full access...
03:16um...
03:17to your country.
03:18Do you think that...
03:19a compromise...
03:20is...
03:21is possible here?
03:22I think...
03:23if you look at the 1951...
03:24agreed...
03:25agreement already in place...
03:27the US has wide access...
03:28to Greenland...
03:29and we have no...
03:30problems with this...
03:31we also...
03:32do not have any problems...
03:33with some sort of...
03:34of...
03:35update of that...
03:36agreement...
03:37but we would of course...
03:38need to hear more...
03:39in detail...
03:40what that...
03:40would entail...
03:41and how that...
03:42would be...
03:43possible...
03:44with our Red Lions...
03:45which is...
03:45mentioned...
03:46that we want...
03:47the territory...
03:48to be...
03:49the realm...
03:50to be...
03:50intact...
03:51and our sovereignty...
03:52to be intact...
03:53You are however...
03:54Minister...
03:55for...
03:55general resources...
03:56and...
03:57we know...
03:58that Greenland...
03:59is a hotbed...
04:00of...
04:01of...
04:02critical...
04:03...
04:04you...
04:05you...
04:06you...
04:07you...
04:08you...
04:21you...
04:22you...
04:23And we are very much open to investments and collaborations with the U.S.
04:28We already have a memorandum of understanding that is from 2019 under Trump 1.
04:33that we have been seeking to update.
04:37But we cannot, I think...
04:38start to put it all together in the same basket because it's...
04:43different things.
04:44We cannot give another country full access to our minerals.
04:48This is a rule-based country.
04:51So we, of course, you need to...
04:53follow the local rules and regulations in order to gain access.
04:56But we have definitely...
04:58every interest in deepening our relationship and figuring out how can we...
05:03to our mutual benefit develop our mineral sector.
05:06And several different...
05:08investors, countries are interested, of course, in developing Greenland's...
05:13federal sector, including some companies with Chinese links.
05:18Do you understand that Trump has some concerns around that and would you...
05:23be willing to limit the extent to which the West...
05:28universities, such as China, can invest in your mineral sector?
05:32Currently...
05:33as I'm aware we have two Chinese companies invested in a mineral sector, both of these...
05:38licenses are inactive and both are being fought in court actually against the...
05:43government of Greenland.
05:44So I don't see a lot of Chinese interest into a mineral sector.
05:48We don't see a lot of Chinese interference...
05:53in our waters, as also mentioned.
05:55I think we have shown quite clearly...
05:58throughout the years that where we stand in terms of allyships and partnerships...
06:02and we have...
06:03clearly chosen the Western world as our partners, the European Union.
06:08the US, Canada, UK, and I think...
06:13we have...
06:14both in regulation and in policy shown where we stand.
06:18Minister, the past few days have been quite frightening...
06:23for some Greenlanders, especially when Trump initially was using rhetorics.
06:28such as the possibility of using force to seize the territory.
06:32You may...
06:33mention that there could potentially be dialogue around increased NATO presence.
06:38but do you think today that Europe and Western...
06:43countries and allies other than the US would be ready and able to defend...
06:48Greenland if it was needed?
06:49I think there's more than one answer to that question.
06:53really.
06:54I think that NATO has proven itself to be a good alliance...
06:57the country...
06:58the member states do not always agree on everything...
07:01but it has, I think, shown...
07:03given prosperity and peace to a wider part of the world than just the NATO members.
07:08states.
07:09So I think it's a good alliance too.
07:10I believe that everything will be unchanged.
07:13in the future.
07:14If you look at the world historically...
07:16no, things have changed throughout the year.
07:18the leaders and allies have shifted.
07:21And of course, this will also happen...
07:23to us sometime in the future.
07:24I think that right now is a lot of wishful thinking in...
07:28in Europe, pining towards the things that were...
07:32but we are in a...
07:33changing world order and also like the Canadian Prime Minister said...
07:37the rupture is already...
07:38what has happened.
07:39So I think we all need to find our footing...
07:41in these new alliances and figure...
07:43out how do we see ourselves going forward?
07:45What kind of values do we want to guide our future?
07:48future policies?
07:49And it's not going to be free.
07:51It's going to cost...
07:53difficult discussions amongst allies, amongst friends and...
07:58also economically in the country.
08:00So I think a lot of things are up in the air at this moment.
08:03not only in Greenland, but also in Europe and in the States.
08:07And we have to see where...
08:08where everything lands.
08:10You mentioned just very briefly that new world.
08:13that rupture that Prime Minister Carney of Canada referred to.
08:18How fearful are you that Greenland could be particularly vulnerable though?
08:22because we know this...
08:23strategic position in the Arctic.
08:25We know of its mineral wealth.
08:27And what does...
08:28Greenland need to be able to defend itself in this new world order where it's...
08:33might overwrite?
08:34Well, Greenland will never be able to defend ourselves militarily.
08:38on our own.
08:39That has never been our plan.
08:41And we have always been vulnerable towards...
08:43outside interest from bigger countries.
08:46We have been a colony in the past.
08:48We have been used to the...
08:50an intense...
08:51look upon our resources.
08:53from the outside world.
08:54And I think he's done a great job trying to build a community based on...
08:58international law and transparency and...
09:01and democracy.
09:02But...
09:03mind you if...
09:04if...
09:05if...
09:06Greenland is at stake in some form or other in...
09:08in the future.
09:09So is the entire western world.
09:11That would only be part of it.
09:12That would be...
09:13mean that rupture was complete and that you could no longer rely on international law to...
09:18be upheld.
09:19So...
09:20so that would change the situation not only in Greenland but for everybody.
09:23that is affected and...
09:25and...
09:26rely...
09:27ourself with our...
09:28values.
09:29Finally...
09:30what do you think these past weeks months have done...
09:33to...
09:34the...
09:35increasing calls for more self-determination and eventually...
09:38even independence for Greenland.
09:40Do you think that has received a little bit of a setback...
09:43and then you realize that...
09:44your deeper...
09:45reliance and connection with...
09:47Denmark and...
09:48Europe?
09:49Or do you think there's still a case to be made about...
09:51further self-determination?
09:53Well I think any country are working towards more self-determination...
09:57wouldn't you...
09:58our country?
09:59I think it's very natural and for us this has never been a sprint...
10:02it has always been a...
10:03marathon...
10:04and we are working towards more self-determination within the Kingdom...
10:07of Denmark.
10:08Denmark and...
10:09and that is where the people's appetite is currently...
10:11and has been for many years...
10:12so there has...
10:13never been this...
10:14imminent...
10:15complete...
10:16uh...
10:17sovereignty...
10:18right around the corner.
10:19I think that has been...
10:20something that has maybe been painted by outside.
10:23the media more than the actual discussions within Greenland.
10:26So we are working towards...
10:28more self-determination in every aspect.
10:31If...
10:32you look at the Greenland...
10:33community...
10:34and country...
10:35we have really build strong...
10:36institutions...
10:38in...
10:39to...
10:57you
10:58you
10:38the last 30, 40 years or so, and really shown that we graduated.
10:43We can really take more and more responsibility for our own community and all.
10:48Always with an underlying understanding that we are so few 57,000 people.
10:53Currently that we will never be able to gain fully independence and be able to.
10:58Defend our country military. That has never been a goal.
11:01It has always been a goal to gain more.
11:03Self-determination. And I think it's a very human want.
11:08And I think that will of course stay.
11:11I also think.
11:13That the idea of freedom is.
11:18Very, it's a baseline for us.
11:21The idea that.
11:23We can determine our own fate is very strong.
11:26And these past two weeks.
11:28I think has really both cause concern, of course.
11:33But, but also I did take an anger beginning to.
11:38Come forward that that's.
11:40And then that people feel that.
11:43What is happening now is unjust and they find it difficult to wrap.
11:48A head around that an ally would treat us like that.
11:51Minister, many thanks for joining us.
11:53Thank you for having us on Euronews.
11:54Thank you for having me.
11:55Have a nice day.
11:58Euronews.
