COPENHAGEN, May 17 (Reuters) – U.S. special envoy Jeff Landry, appointed by President Donald Trump last year to push for American control of Greenland, arrived in Nuuk on Sunday, local media reported.
Landry, the governor of Louisiana, has previously backed Trump’s goal of making the vast Arctic territory a part of the United States. The ambition has been strongly opposed by both the Greenlandic and Danish governments, which have repeatedly said Greenland is not for sale.
Footage from Nuuk published by public broadcaster DR showed Landry exit a plane.
He is scheduled to attend the ‘Future Greenland’ business conference on May 19-20 and will be accompanied by the U.S. ambassador to Denmark, Kenneth Howery.
The conference organiser, Business Greenland, did not invite Landry but said the event was open for anyone to sign up.
The U.S. embassy in Copenhagen said earlier this week that Landry and Howery would “meet with a wide range of Greenlanders to listen and learn with a goal of expanding economic opportunities, building people-to-people ties, and increasing understanding between the United States and Greenland”.
Seeking to calm tensions, Greenland, Denmark and the U.S. earlier this year agreed to hold high-level diplomatic negotiations to resolve the crisis, although the outcome of those ongoing talks has yet to be presented.
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said earlier this week that increasing U.S. military presence was part of ongoing negotiations with Washington.
So far no official meetings between Landry and Greenlandic politicians have been confirmed during his visit.
(Reporting by Stine Jacobsen; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama )
