Former Danish prime minister and new Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, was recently in Greenland to discuss the opportunities for deeper cooperation with his Greenlandic and Faroese colleagues, as well as to participate in the EU Arctic Forum and Indigenous People’s Dialogue. Following previous talks in Copenhagen a few weeks ago, Løkke Rasmussen held discussions in Nuuk with Greenland’s ‘Naalakkersuisoq (Minister) of Foreign Affairs’, Vivian Motzfeldt (Siumut), and with the Faroese ‘Minister of Foreign Affairs’, Høgni Hoydal (Tjóðveldi). On Wednesday, Løkke Rasmussen also participated in the EU Arctic Forum and Indigenous People’s Dialogue organized in Nuuk by the EU Commission, in collaboration with ‘Naalakkersuisut’, the Greenlandic government: topics discussed were the future of international cooperation in the Arctic, the EU’s engagement in the region, as well as sustainable and inclusive economic development in the region. The Danish MFA also discussed further development of the cooperation with the EU in the Arctic region with Virginijus Sinkevičius, EU Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries. The contact between the MFAs of Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroese Islands also deepens the dialogue between the countries’ prime ministers: at a meeting in January, they agreed on further cooperation within a foreign, security, and defense policy contact committee, as was established between the three countries in the summer of 2021. Greenland is central to Denmark’s Arctic defense initiatives and Naalakkersuisuit has been given a written guarantee of its involvement in the preparations for the defense settlement, and dialogue about similar inclusion of the Faroese government has also been held: Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (Social Democrats) recently confirmed this approach “for the good of the entire Kingdom of Denmark” during a speech in the hall of the Folketing. The EU Arctic Forum and the Indigenous People’s Dialogue was held in Greenland for the first time, with a long list of participating Arctic stakeholders: several representatives of the European Union, as well as European governments, civil societies, industry, research, and indigenous institutions, were present. That the EU Arctic Forum is held in Greenland is an expression of the well-functioning cooperation between the EU and Greenland: it was also announced that the union will strengthen its presence in Greenland by opening a representative office in Nuuk, a geopolitical positioning, but also the will to better understand the Arctic island and develop relations with Greenlandic actors.
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