Greenland has succeeded Norway as Chairman of the Arctic Council on behalf of the Kingdom of Denmark, the Foreign Ministry of Greenland reports.   

On Monday, the Guardian reported that Greenland would take over the Chairmanship of the Arctic Council on behalf of Denmark in token of a reset of relations with Copenhagen in the face of US President Donald Trump’s claim to the island.  

“Minister of Foreign Affairs and Science of Greenland Vivian Motzfeldt has traveled to Tromsø, Norway, for the official ceremony of Chairmanship takeover from Foreign Minister of Norway Espen Barth Eide. Ms. Motzfeldt was handed a hammer symbolizing that the Kingdom of Denmark is Chairman of the Arctic Council,” the Foreign Ministry’s website states.

According to the press release, Foreign Minister Motzfeldt earlier provided a list of Denmark’s Chairmanship priorities, which includes issues related to the indigenous peoples and communities in the Arctic, sustainable economic development, Green transition, as well as climate change and biodiversity in the region.  

“The Arctic must remain a region, where tensions are dissolved diplomatically… We will cooperate with all member countries of the Arctic Council and we hope that they will respond in kind,” DR TV and radio broadcaster quotes Ms. Motzfeldt as saying.

The press release further says that Mr. Kenneth Høegh of Greenland will be Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials, with a Faroes representative as his deputy.

Established in 1966, the Arctic Council is a high-level intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation in the region, particularly in the environmental sphere. The Arctic Council includes Denmark, Canada, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States. In March 2022, the Western members declared that they were suspending their participation in all AC events in protest against developments in Ukraine.    

President Trump has repeatedly stated that Greenland should become a US state, stressing its strategic importance for US national security and the defense of the “free world” from China and Russia, among others. Former Prime Minister of Greenland Mute Egede replied to this that the island was not for sale and never would. At the same time, Donald Trump refused to promise that he would not use armed force to gain control over Greenland.

Before 1953, Greenland was a Dutch colony. It remains part of the kingdom, although with an autonomous status since 2009. It also enjoys self-rule and independence in its domestic policy options.