The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, reiterated this Sunday that "Europe is on the side of Greenland" after landing on the Arctic island for a two-day official visit, at a time when the European Union seeks to deepen its cooperation with the authorities of this Danish territory, which has recently become a well-known target of the annexationist aspirations of the President of the United States, Donald Trump.
In a message published on social media, the community leader assured that "The impressive landscapes and natural beauty of Greenland will stay with me for a long time. But so will the visible traces of climate change on the ice sheet."
She then pointed out that "as the ice melts, a new reality is emerging," characterized by "new trade routes, new security risks (and) new environmental concerns."
In this context, Von der Leyen emphasized that "Europe is on the side of Greenland. We will face these changes together."
During the day, the President of the Commission met with the Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, and with the Prime Minister of Greenland, Jens-Frederik Nielsen.
The head of the Danish Government wanted to thank the Greenlandic leader "for the warm welcome" and Von der Leyen for her "support for the people" of the island, in a post shared on social media.
In that same message, Frederiksen expressed: "Thank you for standing firm and insisting that Greenland and Europe remain united. We share common values and together we take on the responsibility for our common security," while stating that she looks forward to "excitedly spending the next three days" in the "magnificent" island territory.
As explained by her host, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, the agenda of the visit included a boat trip to Qoornoq, an old fishing settlement converted into a tourist destination located in the Nuuk fjord, about 45 kilometers northeast of the Greenlandic capital.
"There we were warmly welcomed by the locals, who treated us to songs, among other things. It was an emotional moment and a beautiful way to show our guests something that makes Greenland such a special place," said the Greenlandic Prime Minister.
Nevertheless, Nielsen has emphasized that "there has also been time to talk about Greenland and our cooperation with Denmark and the European Union."
"The coming days will bring us several important meetings. But today has been an excellent start," he added in another post, in which he also expressed his "excitement to welcome" under similar conditions the Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands, Beinir Johannesen.
During the stay, the leaders are expected to address the main challenges and opportunities facing Greenland and the entire Arctic, as well as concrete initiatives to strengthen bilateral cooperation, in a context where the European Union is reviewing its policy for the Arctic region in order to adapt it to the growing geopolitical and security relevance of this area.
As part of the agenda, Von der Leyen, Nielsen, and Frederiksen will inaugurate this Monday a project aimed at improving satellite connectivity on the island at the facilities of the Greenlandic company Tusass, and they will also sign a renewed joint declaration between the European Union, Greenland, and Denmark regarding their relations, before appearing together before the media.
The visit takes place after Trump has claimed several times this year the control of Greenland for national security reasons, aspirations rejected by the Greenlandic and Danish authorities, as well as by the European Union, which has emphasized that it is solely up to the Greenlanders to decide the political future of the island.