Greenland Touts Independence from Denmark
Greenland Touts Independence from Denmark
Kanako Mita and Noriko Watanabe
Modern Tokyo Times
Prime Minister Mute Egede of Greenland claims it is time to break free from Denmark. Accordingly, Egede seeks Greenland to be a self-governing independent nation.
The population of Greenland is approximately 57,000 people. Hence, if a referendum is announced concerning independence, the people of Greenland need to weigh up the benefits of subsidies from Denmark and other positives – to being free and making independent decisions internally and externally.
Euro News reports, “The world’s biggest island — which is home to about 57,000 people — was a Danish colony until it become a self-governing territory of Denmark in 1979. Since 2009, Greenland has held the right to declare independence through a referendum.”
The leader of Greenland is a member of the Community of the People (IA) party. This political party is pro-independence from Denmark. Therefore, it isn’t a shock that Egede is touting independence.
Egede announced, “The history and current conditions have shown that our cooperation with the Kingdom of Denmark has not succeeded in creating full equality.”
He continued, “It is now time for our country to take the next step… Like other countries in the world, we must work to remove the obstacles to cooperation – which we can describe as the shackles of colonialism — and move forward.”
The Council on Foreign Relations reports, “Greenland is a self-governing Danish territory that gained autonomy in 1979, though the island still relies heavily on Denmark for financial support, as well as management of its monetary policy, defense, and foreign relations. Greenlandic representatives join Danish delegations at the United Nations, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and European Union (EU). While Greenland has overseas country and territory status with the EU, the island is not a member.”
Greenland is blessed with natural gas resources, oil, and various minerals. However, Greenland still over-relies on the fishing sector and economic support from Denmark.
Reuters reports, “An independence movement has gained traction in Greenland in recent years in part due to revelations of misconduct by Danish authorities during the 20th century, including an involuntary birth control campaign launched in the 1960s.”
Last year, Voice of America said, “The territory’s geostrategic location and massive mineral reserves have raised international interest in recent years, as evidenced by former U.S. President Donald Trump’s swiftly rebuffed offer to buy it in 2019.”
However, the recent victory of Trump entails fresh interest in Greenland – irrespective if the leader of Greenland isn’t interested in the overtures of Trump.
Lee Jay Walker (Modern Tokyo Times analyst) says, “It remains to be seen if Greenland will break free shortly – or if the majority of people in Greenland will decide on the status quo similar to developments in Scotland.”
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