Source:  .airicelandconnect.com/   New  U.S. Consulate  is located  in Nuuk ,  the capital of Greenland in the Arctic

By Gary Raynaldo        DIPLOMATIC TIMES

The United States reopened its new diplomatic consulate in Nuuk Greenland Wednesday as the strategic importance of the High North is attracting the attention of major powers including Russia and China. Last year, Denmark approved the establishment of a U.S. consulate in Greenland, an autonomous part of Denmark, four months after spurning President Donald Trump’s idea of buying the island which shocked Copenhagen and caused a major diplomatic spat. The U.S. diplomatic mission in Nuuk was previously operating  from 1940 to 1953.

“I am proud to celebrate the reopening of the United States Consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, on June 10, 2020, reflecting America’s commitment to deepening our cooperation with the people of Greenland and the entire Kingdom of Denmark. Our presence in Nuuk will enhance the prosperity we share with our friends in Denmark and Greenland, as we work together with other Arctic allies and partners to ensure the stability and sustainability of development in the region. We thank our many partners in Denmark and Greenland for helping us realize this important step forward toward bolstering our cooperation.”

-U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo 

“With the establishment of a full-time diplomatic presence, we hope to further deepen and strengthen the U.S.-Greenlandic-Danish relationship. We want to collaborate with the entire Kingdom of Denmark to encourage the entrepreneurship and innovation needed to stimulate sustainable economic growth in the Arctic.”

-U.S. Ambassador to Denmark, Carla Sands

Credit:  U.S. Department of State:  U.S. Ambassador to Denmark  Carla Sands

On the back of concerns about Russia’s military buildup in the Arctic and China’s push in the region, the State Department in April announced it would also provide $12.1 million in aid to Greenland. 

 In a Apr. 20, 2020 statement,  Ambassador Sands laid out the strategic importance of the Arctic:

“In 2018, Russia opened an Arctic airfield at Nagurskoye which can accommodate bombers capable of reaching Thule Air Base in Northwest Greenland with little to no warning. Furthermore, Russia is currently expanding the base’s 2,500-meter runway up to 3,500 meters, far longer than the length required for defensive fighters. These investments in new military capabilities reveal Russia’s growing ambitions that challenge the West’s shared goal of a peaceful, prosperous region. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) calls itself a “near Arctic state” even though nearly 1,500 kilometers separate the Arctic and China. The PRC is trying to insinuate itself into the region because it sees the Arctic as another place to advance its predatory economic interests and project its authoritarian values. It is attempting to gain a physical foothold in the region by building icebreakers, including working on a nuclear-powered icebreaker, deploying unmanned ice stations, and engaging in large and sophisticated data collection efforts in countries throughout the region, including the United States, Iceland, Greenland, and Canada.”  

U.S. Ambassador to Denmark  Carl Sands

“The United States will also continue to build bridges between Greenlanders, Faroese, and Americans through exchange programs that build educational and professional skills to spur economic development – all to increase the resilience of Arctic and subarctic communities,”  Ambassador Sands added.   “Even as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Western world can no longer overlook the Arctic’s importance, in terms of its unique and changing environment, its strategic location, and its potential.”

Credit: britannica.com / Greenland, the world’s largest island, lying in the North Atlantic Ocean. Greenland is noted for its vast tundra and immense glaciers.

The first U.S. consulate in Nuuk was established  1940 and operated until to 1953.   According to the State Department,  during World War II after Denmark fell to the Nazis, the Danish ambassador to the United States wanted to see and ensured there was continued cooperation with America to help Greenland stay out of Hitler’s hands.  Throughout World War II Greenland was of high strategic importance to the U.S.

Greenland became Danish in 1814, and was fully integrated in the Danish state in 1953 under the Constitution of Denmark. In 1973, Greenland joined the European Economic Community with Denmark.   Denmark contributes two thirds of Greenland’s budget revenue, the rest coming mainly from fishing.