Action of the King of Denmark to emphasize the preservation of Greenland

According to RCO News Agency, “King Frederik”, who took control of the royal throne in Denmark after the abdication of “Queen Margaret II” last year, made changes to the coat of arms of his royal family for the first time after more than 500 years. Changes that, according to historians, send a clear signal in connection with the Greenland Islands and perhaps Donald Trump.

The King of Denmark said during his recent speech on the occasion of the coming of the New Year: “We are all united and each one of us is committed to the Kingdom of Denmark from here to the land of Greenland.”

According to changes to the coat of arms of the Danish royal family announced on January 1, the national coats of arms of the Faroe Islands and Greenland, including the ram and the polar bear, respectively, are placed inside one of the main squares on the coat of arms, while in In the previous version, both of these national emblems were inside a quadrangle.

Following the change, the Danish royal family explained that “the polar bear symbol became the symbol of Greenland during the reign of Frederik III in 1666.”

“These changes are a statement and a symbolic signal to the people of both islands that they are important and equal parts of the Danish kingdom,” Peter Aagaard, a professor at Roskilde University in Denmark, told ABC News.

Greenland, which is known as the largest island in the world, is located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Ocean. The distance of this island to New York is less than the distance to Copenhagen. Greenland has been under Danish control since the 14th century, but became an autonomous region in 1979.

Greenland is also home to a large US Air Force base and has significant mineral deposits that have attracted Trump’s attention; The elected president of the United States expressed his desire to buy this island during his first term as president.

At that time, both Denmark and Greenland strongly rejected Donald Trump’s proposal, and he canceled his trip to Copenhagen in retaliation.

Since then, there has been a debate both in Denmark and in Greenland about the future of this island under the rule of Denmark, one of the drivers of which has been the disclosure of the violations of the officials of this former colonial power.

“My guess is that the coat of arms of the Danish royal family would have changed despite Trump’s desire to buy Greenland,” Aagaard said. In support of his argument, he pointed to the “strong and increasingly emotional debate in Greenland about independence” and the great attention of the Danish king to the island.

But Danish royal historian Lars Hubake Sørensen said the king’s action may have been a deliberate attempt to emphasize that “Greenland is part of Denmark’s territory,” especially considering the growing American interest in taking over the island of about 56,000 people. .

Last December 24, Trump once again raised the issue of taking over the island of Greenland and in a post on his social network known as “Truth Social” he claimed: “Owning and controlling Greenland is an absolute necessity.”

Shortly after that, the Danish government announced that it will increase the island’s military budget by at least 1.5 billion dollars. According to Trolls Lund Poulsen, the Danish Defense Minister, the timing of the announcement of the decision represents “the irony of fate”.

But Trump still hasn’t given up on his vision for Greenland.

In a post on his social network before his son’s trip to Greenland, Trump wrote: “Greenland is an incredible place and if this island ever becomes part of our country, its people will benefit greatly. “We will protect it from the very evil outside world and cherish it.”

According to Minningvak Kleist, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Autonomous Government of Greenland, Donald Jr.’s visit to the island was supposed to last four to five hours.

“We have not been informed of the nature of his plan and so this is a private trip,” Kleist told Reuters.

A video of Donald Trump Jr. apparently talking to his father in a restaurant on the phone shortly after his arrival on the island, while a member of Donald Jr.’s team is holding the phone, is the voice of the president-elect. America is heard saying that Greenland is a “very special place”.

He said: “This country needs security for itself, and there is also a need for a lot of security in the world. We need security. Our country and the whole world need it.” Trump Jr. responded that his team was “learning a lot” and that Greenland was “very beautiful.” He added that they received an “impressive” reception.

Denmark’s foreign ministry told NBC News that it was “taking note” of the visit, but emphasized that it was “not an official visit by American officials.”

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Tuesday that Greenland’s future will be decided by Greenlanders, calling the United States Denmark’s most important ally.

His response echoed the blunt stance of Greenland Prime Minister Mote Egde, who told Trump in December: “Greenland is not for sale.”

However, the dispute could fuel calls in Greenland for independence from Denmark, Aagaard said, with independence supporters hoping to use Trump’s interest in the island to bolster their political cause rather than see the US replace Denmark’s dominance. Be your own island.

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