US to open Greenland consulate amid increased interest

The Trump administration is planning to open a US consulate in Greenland for the first time in decades amid increased strategic and economic interest in the Danish territory.

The State Department says in a letter to Congress that re-establishing a consulate in Nuuk is part of a broader plan to increase the US presence in the arctic.

A copy of the letter was obtained Friday by The Associated Press.

The US has a "strategic interest in enhancing political, economic, and commercial relationships across the Arctic region," said the letter to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

President Donald Trump sparked a diplomatic dispute with US-ally Denmark this week after he proposed that the US buy Greenland and the Danish government rejected the idea.

Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen called it an "absurd discussion." Trump fired back that her comments were "nasty" and he cancelled a planned trip to Denmark.

A permanent diplomatic presence would allow the US to "protect essential equities in Greenland while developing deeper relationships with Greenlandic officials and society," the letter said.

It said the consulate would be "a critical component of our efforts to increase US presence in the Arctic and would serve as an effective platform to advance U.S. interests in Greenland."