Kalaallit Nunaat pillugu ataatsimiititaliaq Qasigiannguanut qaaqquneqartoq

The family-owned tourism company Experience Qasigiannguit invites the members of the Greenland Committee in the Danish Parliament to a series of adventure trips in connection with the holding of the national dog sled race Avannaata Qimussersua in Qasigiannguit in Disko Bay in late March.

And the invitation, which is on the agenda for the committee meeting on 14 January, is well received by a number of Danish parliamentarians who want to strengthen relations between Greenland and Denmark.

Glad for the invitation

Louise Elholm, Liberal Party, who is a member of the Greenland Committee in the Danish Parliament, says that she is incredibly happy to have received the invitation from Experience Qasigiannguit.

- If people in Greenland want to see us, I think the Greenland Committee should go. I am generally positive about coming to Greenland, and I think that the Greenland Committee should go to Greenland as much as possible because we should ideally have as close connections as possible.

- If it is possible in my calendar, I try to participate as much as possible in topics related to Greenland, she says.

She herself has suggested that the Greenland Committee should go to Greenland, and she thinks it is important that the Danish politicians meet with the Greenlandic population and participate in various cultural activities.

Supports the idea

Anders Kronborg, Social Democrats, who is also a member of the Greenland Committee in the Danish Parliament, also supports a trip to Qasigiannguit at the end of March.

- I am always very open to coming to Greenland, and I also believe that it is important that the Danish parliamentarians are often present in Greenland. When I was chairman of the Danish Parliament's Children and Education Committee in the last election period, we were in Greenland and the Faroe Islands with the aim of strengthening cohesion and knowledge of each other in the Commonwealth.

- I was at Pituffik Space Base myself just before the municipal elections and have been on an orientation trip to Greenland, so I have actually been very careful with the relations in relation to Greenland and have a trip planned there in May in connection with a business conference, he says.

Anders Kronborg emphasizes that Donald Trump's interest in Greenland, which has currently created tensions in relations between Greenland, Denmark and the USA, does not play a role in his opinion that the Greenland Committee should take a trip to Greenland in connection with the national dog sled race Avannaata Qimussersua.

- I am also one of the parliamentarians who has traveled a lot in Greenland. When I was chairman of the Children and Education Committee in the period from 2019 to 2022, we traveled to Nuuk and South Greenland, where we made a very special effort around the Realm, and visited schools and institutions and met with politicians.

- So my interest is unchanged in relation to Greenland, despite Donald Trump's interest in Greenland. I think in general that we should be very interested in visiting Greenland because we are part of the same Realm and Kingdom. That is why I also spend some time in the Folketing on having a good relationship with the Greenland parliamentarians.

Anders Kronborg emphasizes that he will therefore speak positively for the Greenland Committee to accept the invitation from Experience Qasigiannguit to take a trip to Greenland when the topic is debated during the committee meeting on 14 January.

Strengthening the bond

Mads Fuglede, the Danish Democrats, who is also a member of the Greenland Committee in the Folketing, believes that in general, work should be done to strengthen the bond between Greenland and Denmark, especially in the situation that we are in at the moment.

- I therefore think that it is a really good idea that the Greenland Committee has been invited to participate in various cultural events in connection with the nationwide dog sled race being held because we should listen more to each other and spend more effort on strengthening our bond, he says.

Interest is gratifying

Kristian Jeremiassen, co-owner of Experience Qasigiannguit, is positively surprised that the invitation to the Greenland Committee of the Danish Parliament has been well received by the members.

- We would like to show the members of the Greenland Committee that Avannaata Qimussersua, which is one of the largest cultural events in Greenland, can be a gathering point for everyone regardless of nationality.

- But I also believe that the Danish parliamentarians should experience firsthand the climatic changes that the country is facing right now, but also that there are also good business development opportunities, including within tourism.

- We will therefore, in connection with the visit, offer the members of the Greenland Committee a number of adventure trips, including dog sledding, grouse hunting, observing the northern lights and various cultural events, says Kristian Jeremiassen.

Kristian Jeremiassen, who is a member of the municipal council of the Municipality of Qeqertalik and is a former member of Inatsisartut emphasizes that he does not have a political agenda in connection with the invitation.

Yesterday it emerged in KNR that Kristian Jeremiassen has also invited Jeff Landry, the US special envoy to Greenland, who has been appointed by President Donald Trump, in connection with the holding of the national dog sled race Avannaata Qimussersua at the end of March.