Naalakkersuisut announced on Fridaythat USA, Denmark and Greenland will sign an agreement to strengthen security in the Arctic. The draft of the agreement has not yet been published, but we have asked citizens what they hope it will contain.
Lars Heilmann, employee of Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq.
Denmark, Greenland and the US plan to sign their agreement this week. What do you think about the case getting this far?
– I have heard about the case and followed it. The negotiations between the USA, Denmark and Greenland are interesting. It will be interesting to see when the agreement is signed and what it contains, as it has not yet been made public. But with the negotiations in mind, something is finally happening.
The agreement has not yet been made public and we have not seen it. What do you hope it will contain?
– I hope that Greenland’s future will be included in it. That the content will be more about Greenland, i.e. that the citizens will have more self-determination.
The plan is now for the agreement to be signed. A lot has happened in the process. How would you describe the matter reaching this point?
– I am most excited for the content to be published, especially the parts that concern our country.
How do you think the agreement will affect you once it is signed?
– It will inevitably affect our compatriots. It will be exciting when the signing takes effect. I hope that the majority of Greenlanders will have more influence and that there will be greater security.
Abel Karlsen, fisherman in Ilulissat.
An agreement must be signed, what do you say to that?
– As citizens of Greenland, we have not felt safe in recent years. The fact that such an agreement must now be concluded is very reassuring.
Why is that reassuring?
– I don’t know the content. But I am very reassured that those countries will sign a cooperation agreement, because I expect it to contain provisions on defence.
Members of naalakkersuisut and partly also Inatsisartut’s opposition have read the draft of the agreement and have written about it, among other things. The agreement must be concluded between the major powers without the citizens having seen it. What do you say to that?
– I absolutely believe that the content should first have been disclosed to the population of Greenland. Only then should the agreement be concluded. I have no objection to it being signed, but I would first like to see the content and what significance it will have for me and the citizens once it is signed.
What do you want to be secured in the agreement?
What I want most of all is for us to be in a safe situation at all times. Looking back, I have been worried because the statements have been harsh.
Hansine Petersen, teacher at Majoriaq in Ilulissat.
An agreement must be signed, what do you say to that?
– It is not nice to be a citizen without knowing the content of the agreement to be signed. For example, if I have to sign something, I first want to understand the content: What exactly am I signing? I do not like the fact that the citizens have not been consulted before the three countries have to sign.
What do you want to be secured in the agreement?
– I have difficulty understanding what needs to be signed. But I can call it worrying because Trump has been very interested in our country in recent years. From the debates I have followed, I understand that he is interested in Greenland’s central location in relation to other powerful countries. But what is not talked about are the citizens. What will happen to us? If the agreement has negative consequences for our everyday life, it will of course be neither nice nor safe.
Members of Naalakkersuisut and parts of the opposition in Inatsisartut have read the draft of the agreement and, among other things, have expressed their opinions. The agreement must be concluded between the major powers without the citizens being able to see it. What do you hope?
– I always hope that we will not be ruled by great powers, that we can be free in Greenland, and that our descendants will also be free. I really don’t want that to change.
Willads Korneliussen, early pensioner.
Denmark, Greenland and the US plan to sign their agreement this week.
What do you think about the case getting this far?
– Greenland has not entered into the agreement. The Danish state enters into the agreement with the United States. To save the Danish state. Greenland is not the essential thing in this. Greenland is simply included and has no influence. Only Danish interests are taken care of.
What do you justify that opinion with?
– From what I can see, Greenland is talking about becoming more independent, but the Danish state continues to struggle with everything. In order to get the agreement through, they will now give everything to Greenland, i.e. to save their own interests.
What are the Danes interested in?
– The Danish state aims to be the strongest, and uses NATO allies as a tool. It is the Danish state that tries to stand as strong as possible by using Greenland as a tool. The Danish state has nothing. It has neither capital nor goods to sell.
The content of the agreement has not yet been published, but Willads Korneliussen can still guess what the purpose is.
The agreement has not yet been made public and we have not seen it. What do you hope it will contain?
– I find it very difficult to imagine it. But as I have already said, it is more about the Danish state being better positioned in the Arctic. They know that they cannot make an agreement without Greenland, because then they will have no influence on the agreement. Denmark will not get a bigger benefit.
– I hope that an agreement will be made with concrete benefits for Greenland. Not just for the Danish state.
Can you give examples of what can be beneficial for Greenland?
– If it is about defence, I hope that the monitoring of the coast will be improved. The best suited to monitor in Greenland would be the Canadian Coast Guard (Canadian Coast Guard, ed.). They are the ones we should enter into agreements with with SAR in mind. The Danish state cannot handle it, because they do not know about the Arctic. The most skilled at the Arctic are on the other side, namely Canada. They are the ones we should cooperate with.
The signing of the agreement is now planned. There have been many events in the process. How would you describe the matter reaching this point?
– I do not think that Greenland has been pressured by Donald Trump until today. We have not been pressured. It is the Danish state that has been pressured, which is why it has only now begun to focus on Greenland. Trump is right when he says that the Danish state has not completed its tasks in Greenland. It is only now that the Danish state has opened its eyes to its tasks.
How do you think it will affect you once the agreement is signed?
– I don’t know if it can have a direct influence on me. It depends on whether NATO will approve the agreement, because they will not accept that an agreement is concluded without them.
