The opening of a large U.S. diplomatic center in Greenland on Thursday sparked protests from demonstrators opposing U.S. President Donald Trump's push for greater influence on the Arctic island, while local government ministers avoided attending the event, UNN reports, citing Reuters.
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Moving from a wooden cabin on the outskirts of Nuuk to a more spacious office in the city center, the new U.S. consulate has become a focal point for Greenlanders dissatisfied with Trump's stated desire to control the island, which is a semi-autonomous part of Denmark.
Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and several other politicians stated they had declined invitations to the opening of the new diplomatic mission.
"We haven't made a decision in principle yet, but I will not be participating," Nielsen told the local newspaper Sermitsiaq.
Several hundred people demonstrated in front of the consulate, carrying the island's red-and-white flag and posters reading "USA, stop this," while chanting "No means no" and "Greenland belongs to Greenlanders."
The new building has a larger capacity and offers an excellent space for U.S. diplomatic engagement in Greenland, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said.
In January, the White House stated that Trump was considering options on how to gain control over Greenland, including the potential use of the U.S. military, which caused alarm among NATO allies in Europe, though talks have since shifted to a diplomatic level.
The Greenland government said on Monday that progress had been made in important negotiations regarding the territory's future amid threats of annexation by the U.S., adding that the giant island belongs to its people and will never be sold.
"We will always be your neighbors and support you, whatever future you choose, as your allies and partners," said U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Kenneth Braithwaite in his opening speech, as reported by the Greenlandic public broadcaster KNR.
Trump called Greenland, an island with a population of 57,000, strategically important for countering Russia and China in the Arctic. Currently, the U.S. operates one military base there, compared to about 17 in 1945.