COPENHAGEN, April 14 (Reuters) – Greenland’s prime minister said on Tuesday he had appointed his predecessor Mute Egede as foreign minister, handing him the job of steering relations with the United States amid pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump for control over the island.
Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said Egede’s ministerial portfolio will also include those of mineral resources and business policies.
Trump has repeatedly said that the United States needs Greenland, a part of the Kingdom of Denmark, for security reasons, causing a rift with European NATO allies who reject his claim.
Seeking to salvage relations, Greenland, Denmark and the U.S. in late January launched diplomatic talks and have said negotiations are still ongoing, with further meetings scheduled to take place.
As prime minister until mid-2025, Egede, the current finance minister, repeatedly emphasised that Greenland is not for sale and that its people will determine their own future, rejecting Trump’s approach.
Greenland’s delegation in the initial Washington talks was led by Vivian Motzfeldt, who stepped down from the job of foreign minister last month when her party resigned from the coalition government over issues unrelated to the U.S. conflict.
(Reporting by Louise Rasmussen, editing by Terje Solsvik)
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