The visit of 11 American politicians to Denmark is coming to an end. They held a press conference in Copenhagen this morning, where they talked about what they had learned during the visit.
Democratic Senator for Delaware Chris Coons, who arranged the visit, has learned a lot about Greenland that he didn't know before coming to Denmark, he says.
- The population has managed to create a life for itself in an unusually difficult environment, it says.
He is backed by Lisa Murkowski, a Republican senator from Alaska.
- Only the Greenlandic people can share their stories and their lifestyle and tell what it means to be part of a challenging environment, she says, referring to stories she heard along the way on the trip to Denmark.
The visit comes at a time when relations between the United States and the Kingdom of Denmark are challenged. The American delegation says they hope that when they return from the visit they can continue discussions with their colleagues in the Senate and Congress about supporting Greenland.
Let's not forget the people
Sermitsiaq asks what Greenland and the Greenlanders can do to help the process, and what the politicians will say to the Greenlanders.
Lisa Murkowski responds that there are already good partnerships between Alaska and the Greenlandic population, as the people understand each other well.
She calls for keeping those channels and partnerships open despite what is happening in Washington.
And she believes it is important that Greenlandic voices are heard. She herself was deeply impressed by talking to members of Inatsisartut about what the concept of ownership means for indigenous people.
- Share these stories, not just with the United States, but with the whole world. The eyes of the world are on Greenland and the Greenlanders. Let's not forget the people, says Lisa Murkowski.
Not a constructive tone
President Donald Trump has said that he needs Greenland for national security, and that there are Chinese and Russian warships in the sea off Greenland.
But Senator Coons isn't buying it.
- There are currently no security threats to Greenland, but there are legitimate reasons to investigate how we can invest better, says Chris Coons.
- We return to Washington with a renewed passion to figure out how we can work from here.
He does not believe that the tone of the statements about the takeover has been constructive.
"Saying anything that risks our credibility is catastrophic for the United States. Our security has often depended on our credibility," says Chris Coons, when asked about Trump's statement about a "psychological need" to own Greenland.
The Americans' visit to Denmark has been just one of several developments in the case this week. On Wednesday, Greenland's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vivian Motzfeldt (S), and Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen (Moderates) met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President J.D. Vance.
In addition, yesterday there was a briefing from the government to the party leaders of the Danish Parliament and the North Atlantic members about the situation.
