Aaja Chemnitz (IA) can celebrate her tenth anniversary in the Danish Parliament this month. A decade in which the Danish perspective on Greenland in particular has been developing.

I’m not here to make friends.

I’m not here to make friends

This is what was written on a pair of Aaja Chemnitz’s socks packed in her suitcase when she traveled from Nuuk to Copenhagen in 2015 after being elected as a member of parliament for Inuit Ataqatigiit.

– I thought I was going to go down to the Folketinget and be very much Greenland against Denmark. Negotiate, be tough, and now you (Denmark, ed.) should just have a confrontation. But subsequently I have experienced that it is very much about human relations. Politics and negotiating are very much about both parties getting something out of it, she says.

For 10 years, IA’s parliamentary politician, Aaja Chemnitz, has had her daily life in the wide, resounding corridors of Christiansborg Palace. A decade in which both she and the relationship between Greenland and Denmark have been developing to such an extent.

And where she has managed to establish many relationships with Danish politicians. Especially in SF, IA’s Danish sister party, where she regularly attends party meetings.

– It’s fun to be a part of history, right in the engine room. When I came 10 years ago, no one paid attention to Greenland. No one knew anything about Greenland, or talked about the country at all.

Tenfold in 10 years

A row of small Erfalasorput hangs on a string in the 47-year-old politician’s office at Christiansborg Palace, overlooking the palace square. On the table is a large bouquet of colorful flowers.

The door to the office is open. It often is.

Out in the hallway, someone is wishing Aaja Chemnitz a happy birthday. She laughs. Her birthday isn’t until December, but the office is decorated for her anniversary.

– I am the first woman in recent Greenlandic history to have sat here for so long. I didn’t expect that when I came here, she says when asked about the anniversary.

When Aaja Chemnitz herself has to put into words what characterizes her time as Greenland’s representative in the Folketing, she particularly emphasizes qualities such as security, cooperation and results.

She wants to be a guarantor of credibility. And she is not shy about highlighting her political achievements.

– We have achieved many good results on behalf of Greenland, although there is of course still a lot to fight for, she says and continues:

– But I feel that I am really good at creating these historically good results. I can see that we have more than tenfold increased our results on behalf of Greenland during the entire period that I have been here.

Collaboration rather than confrontation

There probably aren’t many Danish politicians who associate Aaja Chemnitz with confrontation.

But she can show her dissatisfaction if she experiences that Greenland is not spoken about with respect, she explains.

The Folketingshall felt this when, three years ago, during the opening debate, she confronted the then leader of the Conservative Party and prime ministerial candidate, Søren Pape Poulsen, with the fact that he had called Greenland ‘Africa on ice’. Something she had heard from several independent sources.

– I actually approach matters soberly. If people talk about Greenland without respect, whether it’s Trump or others, I think it’s extremely important to bring it to light, because it will of course reflect how they treat us going forward, she explains.

And the condescending comments about Greenland? Yes, she has heard those mentioned several times.

Yet today she has a more cooperative strategy than the ones the socks indicated when she started in the Folketing. Because in her view, there is no doubt that Greenland and Denmark will continue to have a relationship in the future.

A conviction that has not diminished after US President Donald Trump turned his attention to Greenland.

The US’s desire for Greenlandic control

On December 23, 2024, Donald Trump stated that he believes the United States should have ownership of Greenland. Since then, the message has been repeated repeatedly by both himself and his staff.

On January 7, Donald Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., landed in Nuuk, which brought the world’s attention to Greenland.

The same day, the incoming president said he would not rule out using economic or military force to gain control of Greenland – despite the fact that the US and Denmark are both members of NATO and despite the fact that the US has had a military presence in Greenland since World War II.

On March 13, President Trump was asked if he would annex Greenland. He replied: – I think it will happen.

On March 15, Nuumiut took to the streets in a demonstration against the United States’ desire to take over Greenland. Possibly the largest demonstration in the country’s history.

After much debate and warnings of demonstrations, the wife of US Vice President J.D. Vance canceled a planned visit to Sisimiut. Instead, the couple landed at Pituffik Space Base on March 28, where a press conference was held.

On April 10, The New York Times revealed that the American strategy was now to persuade the Greenlanders to become part of the United States – including through soft power and private investment.

On May 6, the Wall Street Journal revealed that US President Donald Trump has ordered the heads of intelligence agencies such as the CIA, NSA and DIA to increase intelligence gathering in Greenland. Among other things, the order called for a list of Greenlanders who could help the US achieve its goals. This led several experts and countries to suspect US espionage in Greenland.

 

And even though her party, IA, is no longer the leading party in the Greenlandic parliament after the Inatsisartutvalget in March, she remains very satisfied with the political goals at home in Greenland. Now with Demokraatit at the helm.

– I have always been an advocate of good cooperation, and I feel that the Greenland government also stands for that today, so it is right down my alley.  Rather than constantly seeking confrontations.

down my alley. 

– But I am also aware that there are many tasks to be solved, and we need to solve them quite quickly. Because it may well be that the interest in Greenland is there right now, but it can disappear just as quickly as it came.

Access to the Prime Minister

Although Aaja Chemnitz certainly does not approve of Trump’s desire for the United States to own Greenland, the statements have carried something positive, she says.

The world press has made a pilgrimage to Greenland, and the country has risen to the top of the political agenda – especially in Denmark. A momentum for Greenlandic politicians.

– Where I feel it most is in the relationship with the Prime Minister. It has become much closer and more intimate, I would say. And I am pleased about that, because ultimately it is the Prime Minister who decides what policy is, says Aaja Chemnitz.

At the same time, the Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, has also opened up for Denmark to invest more in Greenland. And Aaja Chemnitz hopes that this promise will become visible in the autumn, when the parliamentary year starts again.

– But the ball is in our court, because we have to be super specific about what we want and where we are willing to say yes to a collaboration with Denmark, she says.