Greenland foreign minister keen to strengthen ties with Maine
Photo / Renee Cordes
Ane Lone Bagger, Greenland's Minister of Education, Culture, Church and Foreign Affairs (front row, third from left) was in Portland this week to discuss collaborations between her country and Maine. To her right is Dana Eidsness, director of the Maine International Trade Center's Maine North Atlantic Development Office.
Connecting Portland to the Greenland capital of Nuuk via a shipping route set to open in 2020 will be a "game changer" for both sides, Greenland's minister of education, culture, church and foreign affairs told Mainebiz on Thursday.
"Next year we'll open a sea route between Maine, Iceland and Greenland, so that'll be a game changer in terms of more trading and more collaborating in many areas," Ane Lone Bagger said in an interview at the Council on International Educational Exchange's Portland headquarters.
She was in town for a roundtable discussion and luncheon with representatives of institutions including the Maine International Trade Center's Maine North Atlantic Development Office (MENADO) and members of the Maine North Atlantic and Arctic Education Consortium.
The consortium represents more than 13 colleges, universities and institutions in Maine supporting Arctic and North Atlantic academic programs and partnerships.
Seeking to build on existing collaborations in the educational field, Bagger spoke of forging closer trade and tourism ties — in both directions — and said she sees Maine as a gateway to other North American markets for Greenland exports.
Starting with geographic proximity, she said: "We have very much in common with Portland, Maine."
Greenland, a self-governed territory of Denmark and the world's largest island, was recently in the headlines over President Trump's comments about buying it.
Asked about what Greenland might export to the U.S., Bagger mentioned shrimp, cod and halibut — which are now exported primarily to Europe and Asia.
Increased tourism is also of great interest, she said, especially as Greenland invests in airport infrastructure.
She spoke with Mainebiz before heading to the University of Maine's Darling Marine Center in Walpole, where she was to learn about the center as a possible model for Greenland.
The one-day visit also included scheduled meetings with Icelandic shipping company Eimskip and a tour of Portland's International Marine Terminal, where Eimskip has its U.S. hub.
"We have a long-term history and friendship with the United States," Bagger said, "so we are deepening our engagement."
'Lot to be done'
MITC's Dana Eidsness, director of MENADO, told Mainebiz she sees several opportunities for closer ties with Greenland.
They include possibilities for Maine to export goods and services to the island, from lumber and building materials to legal services and workforce development assistance.
"There's a lot to be done," Eidsness said.
In a press release, she noted that MENADO has engaged with Greenland for nearly six years, working to position Maine as a supply chain partner for infrastructure projects and providing introductions to facilitate academic and research exchanges.
Her organization will also for the third year in a row host a business roundtable with Greenland's delegation at the Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik, Iceland, next month.
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