– Friendship is based on respect, not on acquisition

Dear Donald Trump,

I am writing to you to tell you how I feel about the recent statements regarding the relationship between our countries. You have for some time expressed a desire to acquire our land – our home and our sanctuary.

Dear Donald Trump,

We are a proud people who have survived in the harsh environment for generations because our ancestors knew exactly how to navigate the Arctic. Many other peoples have not been able to survive here, and those who survived often only did so because they received help from our ancestors.

We are relatively few people in a huge country, centrally located in the geopolitical game. We know that we cannot defend our country alone, but it is not in our nature to wage war either. We are a peaceful people. The idea that others from outside will "take over" us feels wrong. It creates fear and frustration when great powers fight over our land, as if we ourselves do not have a voice.

For me and my family, the USA is much more than politics. I grew up with your culture – from listening to Johnny Cash, Metallica and Linkin Park to following sports. My older brother was an exchange student in Boston in 2001, and since he came home with merchandise from there, my siblings and I have been loyal fans of the Boston Celtics. We follow them together, and it is part of our everyday lives.

But the strongest memory I have of the United States is from 2001, when the terrorists attacked. I clearly remember finding my mother crying with worry for her son, who was in the middle of it all in Boston. At that moment, we were not just two countries on a map; we shared the same fears and the same human bonds. We have always been allies and friends of the United States, and I sincerely hope that we can continue to be. But friendship is built on respect, not on acquisition.

As for the future this year, my greatest hope is that the United States and Greenland can find an even closer cooperation based on equality. I hope you will see us as independent partners to talk to, and not as a commodity to talk about.

My greatest fear, however, is that we end up as a small pawn in a cynical great power game. I fear that our voices will be silenced and that our nature and culture will be trampled upon by military interests over which we have no control.

I hope you will read this as an expression of concern from a friend who wants the best for both of our countries.

Kind regards,

Ernst Bo Frederiksen, Nuuk, Greenland