Fracture in anti-Trump coalition in Greenland, which remains without its main negotiator with Washington
Greenland's Siumut party has pulled out of the coalition government, undermining efforts by the Nuuk cabinet to present a united front against US President Donald Trump's campaign to seize control of the Arctic island, Reuters reports.
The withdrawal comes after Siumut chairwoman Aleqa Hammond warned the party would leave the coalition after two Greenlandic ministers announced their candidacies in Denmark's March 24 parliamentary election without seeking permission beforehand.
As an autonomous territory of Denmark, Greenland has the right to elect two MPs to the Copenhagen legislature, as do the Faroe Islands.
Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Greenland's prime minister, expressed disappointment at the Social Democrats' decision in Siumut, but said his government would continue to work and stressed the importance of governance at a time of increased global attention.
“Grind to the mill for foreigners,” laments Greenland's prime minister
“I think it's extremely bad timing and I'm very frustrated and disappointed that it's happening at a time when we should be united,” he told reporters.
“Anything that might seem divisive in our country is grist to the mill of foreigners and we should avoid it at all costs,” he added.
The broad coalition had been a cornerstone of Nielsen's strategy to respond to what he called the most dangerous period in Greenland's recent history.
Siumut's departure means that Vivian Motzfeldt, Greenland's foreign minister who played a key role in diplomatic talks with the United States, is stepping down, according to KNR television.
The loss of support for Siumut's party, which holds four seats in Greenland's 31-member Inatsisartut parliament, does not threaten the government's majority, as Nielsen's coalition has 19 seats.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned mid-last month that US President Donald Trump's ambition to acquire Greenland had not diminished even after he ruled out the use of force for that goal and accepted a framework agreement to increase security on the island.
