Germany to get closer to Greenland

In mid-August, the German ambassador to Denmark, Pascal Hector, visited the Greenlandic towns of Nuuk and Ilulissat. A visit that has made an impression on him. “You can clearly see that Greenland is a region in development and the country is therefore economically interesting,” he told Der Nordschleswiger, a German minority media outlet. During his visit, Pascal Hector met with Minister for Foreign Affairs, Trade and Business, Vivian Motzfeld, members of the Greenlandic Parliament, Inatsisartut, and representatives of business, research and Arctic Command.
      This is the first time he has made a bilateral visit to the country, and Hector describes the talks as fruitful. “On the Greenlandic side, there is a great interest in us strengthening cooperation, because they want to broaden Greenland’s business base. Fishing is currently the most important industry, but there is a desire to diversify and partners are therefore being sought,” Ambassador Hector says. Hector sees good opportunities for German players to contribute to developing the tourism industry in the country. Next year, two international airports are scheduled to open in Nuuk and Ilulissat – for the first time making it possible to fly directly from Europe to the Greenlandic capital and most visited tourist town. “This means that tourism can be significantly expanded, and this will of course also interest German tourism operators,” the ambassador said.
     He also believes that when it comes to military security in the Arctic, Europe should make a greater contribution. During his visit to Nuuk, he met with the Chief of Arctic Command, General Søren Andersen and his deputy. “Here there is certainly an interest in closer cooperation with Germany, for example in the form of joint exercises. We now need to look into this,” he said. /Der Nordschleswiger/