Former Greenland envoy on new consulates: 'It makes a mental difference'

A long-serving department head and director of Greenland’s self-government views with great satisfaction the opening of consulates by Canada and France in Nuuk.

Kaj Kleist, former director of Greenland’s home rule and department head in the Premier’s office, is certain in his assessment. When DR caught up with him, the former senior official spent two afternoons answering questions in the old meeting hall in the heart of Nuuk. Many still fear the U.S., even though Donald Trump has stated he will not use military force to take over Greenland.

- There are some who are afraid that if he follows through on the threat he made earlier—that he will take Greenland by force—then that would be the case, says Kaj Kleist.

The 82-year-old Kleist held some of Greenland’s most senior positions for many years, including as director of the country’s home rule and department head in the Premier’s office.

Today, he is among other things the local chair of the association Folk og Sikkerhed i Grønland (People and Security in Greenland), and he has contributed to drafting two brochures that the association, together with UNICEF, presented on Thursday evening.

The two brochures, which Kaj Kleist helped develop with UNICEF, cover practical advice on how Greenlanders can best discuss the uncertainties weighing on many minds with their children. The other focuses on how to prepare for a crisis—for example, by stockpiling food and drink for five days—and what to do if a crisis suddenly strikes.

- It’s important that people know these recommendations so they’re prepared, no matter what happens, says Kaj Kleist.

- For example, whether it’s natural disasters, attacks from America, or something else. Then people have already thought about how to respond to that situation.

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**New consulates matter**

Precisely because of the lingering fears many still carry, Kaj Kleist is pleased that Canada and France are upgrading their diplomatic presence in the country and have each opened a consulate in Nuuk, which took place yesterday, Friday.

This sends a signal, he says. Even though Canada’s foreign minister, Anita Anand, repeatedly emphasized during her visit yesterday that this was not about symbolic politics but rather a genuine strengthening of cooperation between Canada and Greenland, the opening remains a powerful symbol.

You can hear Canada’s foreign minister respond to DR’s question about whether the opening of a consulate in Nuuk is a signal to Donald Trump in the clip below. *(Note: The video is not transcribed.)*

- It makes a mental difference. Mentally, the population can feel that there are people thinking about us up here. It matters that our supporters come to Greenland. You don’t need to be a professor to see that it reassures the population, he says.

*Read also:* France and Canada send diplomats to Greenland—but Jannik became consul for three countries by coincidence *(link provided in original)*

According to Kaj Kleist, the opening of the new consulates is also a symbol of something else:

That Greenland has changed forever.

- That’s right. In the sense that we must start thinking differently. We’ve been used to only considering the day and the way forward. But now we must think about defense alliances that also need to be integrated into society. Even if we say we don’t want more soldiers here, and even if we say we don’t want a military presence, we still need some level of protection.

Warning: This article was translated by a Large Language Model, in case of doubt, you can always visit the original source.