Denmark announced this Monday (22) that it will summon the American ambassador after the appointment, on Sunday night, of the governor of the state of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, as special envoy for Greenland, who stated that he will convert the autonomous Danish territory into “part of the United States”.
“It is completely unacceptable. Therefore, I have decided, in common agreement with my Greenlandic colleagues, that we will call the American ambassador to a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” the holder of the portfolio, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, told Danish public television channel DR.
Rasmussen had previously stated, in a statement, that Landry’s appointment confirms that American interest in the Arctic island remains and called for “respect” for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark, which also includes the Faroe Islands, in addition to Greenland.
“There is an ambassador for the kingdom of Denmark and that is who we interact with. When the president (Donald Trump) suddenly appoints a special envoy, there is something that causes me great indignation,” Rasmussen told DR.
Landry’s appointment represents an “escalation”, the minister maintained, highlighting that Denmark has worked “very hard” through all diplomatic channels to eliminate the tension that arose over the last year over Washington’s interest in “acquiring” Greenland.
Trump has reiterated on several occasions that the United States needs the island for national security reasons, which has provoked criticism from both the Danish and Greenlandic governments.
Rasmussen said he was contacted on Monday by other European colleagues “who, like me, are outraged and want to clearly distance themselves from American ambitions.”
“Jeff understands how essential Greenland is to our national security, and will absolutely advance our country’s interests for the security and survival of our allies and, indeed, the world. Congratulations, Jeff!”, Trump wrote on his social media late Sunday night.
In another message on the social network
