U.S. to open Greenland consulate amid increased interest

The United States is planning to open a consulate in Greenland for the first time in decades amid increased strategic and economic interest in the Danish territory.

Early morning fog shrouds homes in Kulusuk, Greenland on Aug.15, 2019. [Photo: AP Photo/Felipe Dana]

The State Department says in a letter to Congress that re-establishing a consulate in Nuuk is part of a broader plan to increase the U.S. presence in the arctic.

The U.S. has a "strategic interest in enhancing political, economic, and commercial relationships across the Arctic region," said the letter to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

President Donald Trump sparked a diplomatic dispute with U.S.-ally Denmark this week after he proposed that the U.S. buy Greenland and the Danish government rejected the idea.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called it an "absurd discussion." Trump fired back that her comments were "nasty" and he canceled a planned trip to Denmark.

On Friday, though, Trump said he had spoken with Frederiksen and called her "a wonderful woman."

"We had a great conversation, he told reporters before leaving the White House for the Group of Seven summit in France. "We have a very good relationship with Denmark. ... Very nice. She put a call in and I appreciated it very much."

A permanent diplomatic presence would allow the U.S. to "protect essential equities in Greenland while developing deeper relationships with Greenlandic officials and society," the letter said.

It said the consulate would be "a critical component of our efforts to increase U.S. presence in the Arctic and would serve as an effective platform to advance U.S. interests in Greenland."

Congress would likely have been open to the idea, but after Trump's actions the proposal will likely gain greater scrutiny.

The U.S. opened a consulate in Greenland in 1940 after the Nazi occupation of Denmark. It closed in 1953. The new one would open next year in the capital of the semi-autonomous territory.

The State Department said it has already assigned a Greenlandic affairs officer working out of the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen. It now plans to hire locally-employed staff in Greenland by fall, or soon thereafter. Ultimately, it expects a staff of seven at the consulate in 2020.

(Story includes material sourced from AP.)