Residents of Nuuk, Greenland / Photo source: HotNews.ro / Laurentiu Ungureanu
A survey conducted among the inhabitants of Greenland and published on Friday by the Danish newspaper Copenhagen Post shows that only 5% of them would like their Arctic island, which has the status of an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, to move towards closer cooperation with the USA, if they had a choice between the European Union and the country of President Donald Trump, which wants to annex Greenland, reports the Danish news agency Ritzau, quoted by EFE and Agerpres.
“Only 5% of Greenlanders would choose closer cooperation with the US if they had to choose between the EU and the US,” writes the Danish agency in a comment on this survey.
According to the survey data, conducted between January 22 and 29 on a representative sample of 610 people from the total population of approximately 56,000 inhabitants of the Arctic island, 65% of those surveyed answered that they would prefer “strengthening cooperation with the EU”, while 29% expressed no opinion when asked about their option if they had to choose between the US and the EU.
The time of the survey coincides with the most serious transatlantic tensions known in recent times, after US President Donald Trump suggested that he does not rule out the use of force to take control of the Arctic island, if Denmark does not want to sell it willingly.
Why Trump's threats have Greenland's Inuit so perplexed: 'This is so strange to us'
He cited national security reasons related to alleged threats from Russia and China in the motivation expressed for the annexation of this strategically important territory and also rich in mineral resources, including rare earths.
Finally, at the economic forum in Davos, Trump reached a preliminary agreement with the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, to strengthen security in the Greenland area, so he withdrew his threat regarding the use of force, after announcing the framework of the agreement about which he and Denmark have different versions and whose details are being negotiated.
