Protest posters put up around Katuaq

If you walk around Nuuk's city center on Tuesday, you will probably come across posters in red and white. Several posters with the words “USA ASU” have been put up, in protest against the American guests at the Future Greenland conference.

“ASU” means “stop then” in Danish.

These days there are several prominent American guests, on the occasion of the Greenland Business Association's business conference Future Greenland, which is being held over two days. Among others, Trump's special envoy, Jeff Landry, is in Nuuk to attend Future Greenland and to meet with people in the business community and with politicians.

However, it is not only protest posters that are visible in the cityscape. Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq reports on Facebook that the municipality is flying the Erfalasorput flag to mark Greenland:

- These days, Nuuk is hosting many international guests. At a time when Greenland is in the spotlight internationally, it is important to stand together for what is ours.

- Erfalasorput is the symbol of our country, our community and our identity. That is why we in Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq are flying the Erfalasorput flag these days, and our employees are encouraged to also mark it at their workplaces, the municipality writes.

When Donald Trump's special envoy to Greenland, Jeff Landry, arrived in Nuuk on Sunday, he was accompanied by doctor Joseph Griffin, who in an interview with the Danish media TV2 News said that he traveled to gain insight into the healthcare system in Greenland.

But he has not been in contact with the official Department of Health, the department responds to Sermitsiaq.

- The Department of Health and Persons with Disabilities is not aware of any plans to meet, the department writes.

According to the American doctor to TV2 News, he is in Nuuk as a volunteer and without any connection to the American government.

On Sunday, member of the Naalakkersuisut for Health, Anna Wangenheim (D), wrote on LinkedIn that it was a problematic approach from the Americans:

- It is deeply problematic when people with a political mission to make Greenland part of the USA send a so-called “volunteer doctor” to Nuuk to “assess our needs.”

- Greenlanders are not experimental subjects in a geopolitical project, writes naalakkersuisoq.

It is clear that there is international interest in the current Future Greenland conference, US governor and special envoy Jeff Landry.

36 people managed to get media accreditation for Future Greenland before registration closed, the organizers say. Several more were added to the waiting list.

From Greenland, journalists from KNR and Sermitsiaq will participate. From Denmark, journalists from DR, TV 2, Berlingske, Kristeligt Dagblad and Politiken will participate, as well as a photojournalist from Ritzau Scanpix.

In addition, there are international media such as the American New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg, the British BBC, the German ZDF, Svenska Dagbladet, Euractiv and Arctic Today, as well as the French news agency AFP.

Finally, there are a few registered media people from other actors, including the Danish Journalists' Association and the Arctic Command.

The press can follow most of the program, but is cut off from parts of the program.

The US Ambassador to Denmark Ken Howery and Consul in Nuuk Susan Wilson were among the audience in the hall when both Chairman of Naalakkersuisut Jens-Frederik Nielsen and the young people from the Future of Greenland conference gave speeches on stage in Katuaq.

After the speeches, the ambassador said that they were some exciting speeches. Notes were taken along the way before the two returned to the consulate.

A greeting from the future was also part of the morning program.

Two participants in Arctic Action, a program where young people in the Arctic are trained, among other things, to deliver rhetorical speeches.

Those who have the floor, have the power, said Anette Molbech, who is behind the project and who introduced the two young people.

Uiloq Bak and Veronica Geisler, who also participated in this year's youth conference Future of Greenland, which took place a few weeks ago, took the stage and spoke.

- Trump wants to buy Greenland. Try thinking about it, said 18-year-old Veronica Geisler.

She had included a speech from a young woman in Sisimiut who could not be present because she had exams.

So what about the people in the country? What about us?, Veronica Geisler reported, clearly affected.

When she had finished her speech by declaring that she was proud to be Greenlandic, the audience burst into applause and stood up.

Krissie Berthelsen Winberg, chairman of the board of directors of Greenland Business, and Jens-Fredrik Nielsen, chairman of Naalakkersuisut, open the conference by giving a status report on the country one year after the election.

It has been a wild year, is the conclusion from both.

- The world looks completely different, both for better and for worse, says Jens-Frederik Nielsen.

In addition to talking about the USA, geopolitics, elections and the reshuffles that have occurred internally in Naalakkersuisut, they also talk about what the entire conference is about: the future of Greenland's business community.

- Almost all of our exports come from fishing, and as Christian Keldsen said in the intro, we need to diversify our economy, says Jens-Frederik Nielsen and continues:

- We have gradually started that work.

The Greenland Government has a lot of work ahead of it to create new and better frameworks for business, he mentions in response to a question from Krissie Berthelsen Winberg.

- Local value creation, no matter where you live in the country, is also important, he points out.

Krissie Berthelsen agrees:

- We must be better at taking care of those in society who are having the hardest time, and we must find the solutions, says Krissie.

- I would like to thank you for standing firm on our values, and what we want as a country and people, is her closing comment.

Jeff Landry has chosen to leave the Future Greenland event around 09:15.

The American envoy to Greenland has thus followed the chairman of Naalakkersuisut, Jens-Frederik Nielsen's update on where Greenland and Naalakkersuisut are one year after the election to Inatsisartut.

It is unknown where Jeff Landry is going and why.

On Tuesday morning and in the morning, the area near Katuaq bears the impression that security has been stepped up in connection with the Future Greenland conference.

Several police officers are patrolling in front of the cultural center.

Inside Katuaq, personnel from Matu Security are providing security.

Earlier this week, the Greenland Police announced on Facebook that they will be more visible than usual:

- There are several large events in Nuuk this week and therefore many guests in the city. Therefore, you will also see more officers in the city in the coming days than usual.

- Our task is to ensure that all events can be carried out in good order and that everyone – both locals and guests – can feel safe, the police write on Facebook.

The US special envoy to Greenland, Jeff Landry, has arrived at Future Greenland in Katuaq in Nuuk.

Landry arrived shortly after the conference began, and he was joined by Ambassador Ken Howery and the US Consul in Greenland, Susan Wilson.

The Americans have reserved a row of chairs in the large hall in Katuaq, where the main events of the conference will take place.

Tuesday begins the most talked-about edition of the business conference Future Greenland ever.

The conference has been covered in national and international media in connection with the announcement of the US special envoy to Greenland, Jeff Landry.

Jeff Landry was appointed by President Donald Trump, and Landry stated upon his inauguration that he looked forward to helping the president make Greenland part of the United States.

Jeff Landry arrived in Nuuk on Sunday, and on Monday he met with the Chairman of Naalakkersuisut, Jens-Frederik Nielsen (D) and Naalakkersuisouq for Foreign Affairs, Múte B. Egede (IA) together with the US Ambassador to Denmark Ken Howery.

Both prominent Americans are on the list of participants for Future Greenland, which will start at 8:30 a.m. with a welcome by Christian Keldsen, Director of Greenland Business, which organizes Future Greenland.

Christian Keldsen has stated that Jeff Landry has not been invited to the conference, but the American is attending as a regular guest.

Naaja H. Nathanielsen, who is a member of parliament for IA, writes in a post on Facebook that she has declined invitations from the American consulate to various events.

- I have explained this by saying that the situation between our countries is currently difficult, she writes.

She seems to be referring to the visit by the US special envoy to Greenland, Jeff Landry, who is currently in Nuuk, when she writes that it is fine that selected members of the Greenland Government meet with "the relevant person."

- The dialogue must go through diplomacy. In light of the seriousness of the situation, this is the right channel.

Naaja H. Nathanielsen urges everyone who receives an invitation to consider why they are receiving it and what signal they are sending by participating.

- Nothing has changed about the fundamental fact that the United States wants to take over our country, and this is therefore not a normal visit that follows normal diplomatic relations.

- Many people tell me that they are worried and afraid. I understand that. The situation is deeply serious, and therefore it is important that you think carefully. You send a signal with your behavior, both when you participate and when you do not, the member of parliament concludes.

The mayor of Avannaata Municipality, Lars Erik Gabrielsen (S), is currently in Nuuk. He plans to meet with “an American who arrived in Nuuk yesterday.”

The mayor announced this on Facebook on Sunday:

– A person from the United States has arrived in Nuuk today, and he will meet with me. However, I emphasize that I have a responsibility to be careful in the things I need to be careful about, the mayor wrote on Sunday.

He does not elaborate on who the American is that he wants to meet, but it is obvious that it is Jeff Landry, Donald Trump's envoy to Greenland, who just arrived in Nuuk yesterday.

Sermitsiaq has asked the mayor about the matter, and he states that he has been contacted regarding a meeting with Jeff Landry, but he has not yet decided whether he wants to meet with him.

Lars Erik Gabrielsen has previously been positive about new collaborations with the United States. Among other things, he expressed support for Donald Trump's idea of ​​sending an American hospital ship to Greenland to treat sick citizens.

On Monday morning, the US ambassador to the Kingdom, Ken Howery, landed in Nuuk.

The ambassador is coming to participate in Future Greenland, which will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday.

On Thursday, the ambassador will inaugurate the US consulate together with the US consul in Greenland, Susan Wilson.

Naalakkersuisoq's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Múte B. Egede (IA), announced on Monday that he will meet with the ambassador.

Naalakkersuisoq's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Múte B. Egede (IA), will meet with Donald Trump's special envoy to Greenland, Jeff Landry, and the US ambassador to Denmark, Ken Howery, on Monday.

He wrote this on Facebook.

Múte B. Egede has a clear message for Landry and the ambassador:

- Here I would like to emphasize clearly that the future of Greenland is decided solely by us in Greenland.

- At the same time, it is important to me that the diplomatic track and the working group we have established continue with respect for each other, international law and Greenland, writes Múte B. Egede.

Jeff Landry arrived in Nuuk on Sunday afternoon, and Ambassador Howery is expected to arrive on Monday.

Chairman of the Greenland Government, Jens-Frederik Nielsen (D), has confirmed to TV2 that he will also meet with Jeff Landry.

The Chairman of the Greenlandic Parliament, Jens-Frederik Nielsen (D), will meet with the US special envoy to Greenland, Jeff Landry, on Monday.

Jens-Frederik Nielsen himself confirmed this to TV 2.

Jeff Landry, who is also governor of the US state of Louisiana, landed in Nuuk on Sunday afternoon.

TV 2 has not been informed of the agenda for the meeting or when it will take place.

Jens-Frederik Nielsen stated on Tuesday last week that he would have a clear agenda if he were to meet with Landry:

- If he wants to meet, I must have a clear agenda for what he wants. We know this game in Greenland. We have been under this pressure for 15-16 months, Jens-Frederik Nielsen said.

It seems that new “Make America Great Again” caps will be distributed in Nuuk.

The American delegation checks in at the Hotel Aurora Apartments in Nuuk city center, and as they unload from the Beetles, boxes with the recognizable caps come out.

DR catches Jeff Landry for a comment when he comes down to Nuuk city center.

They ask if he has a message from President Donald Trump.

- Yes, I spoke to him late last night. He said, go over there and make a lot of friends, as many friends as possible, Jeff Landry tells DR.

Jeff Landry got off the plane at the airport with about seven other people.

They were picked up by five private cars directly on the runway, says Sermitsiaq's reporter on the spot.

The cars then left the airport bypassing the terminal. Therefore, Sermitsiaq did not have the opportunity to ask the special envoy questions.

Several people have come to watch when the plane with Jeff Landry landed in Nuuk a short time ago. They are standing by the road, where they can look down on the runway.

One of them is Nina Møller. She follows the situation with the USA a lot, she tells Sermitsiaq.

- It's always exciting. There are rapid developments with the interest from America, so it's mostly because I went here to see, it's a representative on behalf of the US president, she says.

However, she is a little uneasy about what the US intentions are with suddenly focusing so much on Greenland.

- What do they want with us? Why are they interested in us? We have been a small, quiet country that almost no one knows about. But now people around the world know about us, and that's only good.

- You can work with each other in many ways, but they are most interested in making money on our land, and that is something completely different from our lifestyle, says Nina Møller, who has taken the Greenlandic flag Erfalasorput with her in a silent protest.

On Tuesday, May 19, the Future Greenland business fair will begin in Nuuk, where the US special envoy to Greenland, Jeff Landry, is on the list of participants.

And today Jeff Landry will land in Nuuk. This was informed by the US consulate in Nuuk to Sermitsiaq.

On Monday, he will be joined by Ken Howery, the US ambassador to Denmark. According to a press release from the embassy, ​​the two will meet with a large number of Greenlanders to listen and learn with the aim of increasing economic opportunities, strengthening personal relations and increasing understanding between the US and Greenland.

They will also open the new US consulate in Nuuk.

President of the Greenlandic Government Jens-Frederik Nielsen (D) said at a conference in Denmark that he does not yet know whether he will meet with Landry, but that if they are to meet, "there must be a clear agenda for what he wants".

The delegation from the US will be accompanied by Daniel Ho, an American Grammy-winning musician, who will give concerts in Nuuk Center and at Ilisimatusarfik on Tuesday and Wednesday, Sermitsiaq learns.