Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede believes that the island should strive for independence from Denmark, reported Reuters.
“History and current conditions have shown that our cooperation with Denmark has not led to the creation of full equality“, Egede noted in his New Year's speech, whose words the agency quotes. “It is time for us to move forward ourselves and shape the future, including in terms of who we will work closely with and who our trading partners will be.“ He added that the decision on independence should be made by the people of Greenland, but did not specify when a vote might take place.
Such statements are a significant shift in rhetoric surrounding the future of the Arctic island.
Greenland was a Danish colony until 1953. It is now a self-governing territory of Denmark and was granted the right to declare independence by vote in 2009. In 2023, the Greenlandic government presented the first draft of a constitution.
The independence movement has been gaining momentum in Greenland in recent years, driven in part by revelations of misconduct by the Danish government in the 20th century, including a campaign of forced birth control that began in the 1960s. Although the majority of Greenland's 57,000 residents support independence, there is disagreement over the timing and the potential impact of the move on living standards.
Earlier in December, US President-elect Donald Trump said that US "ownership and control" of Greenland was absolutely necessary. In response to the American politician's words, Greenland's prime minister said that the island "is not for sale and will never be for sale".