Greenland does not want to be American or Danish, PM says

Greenlanders do not want to be American or Danish, the Arctic island’s prime minister has said, after US President-elect Donald Trump refused to rule out using military force to acquire the territory.

At a press conference in Copenhagen on Friday, prime minister Mute Egede, who had insisted the territory was “not for sale” after Trump criticized his “ownership and control” intentions last month, made an open letter to the United States.

He also emphasized Greenland’s desire for independence, which has grown more popular in recent years as Danish colonial abuses against the predominately Inuit population have become public.

“Greenland is for the Greenlandic people. We do not want to be Danish, we do not want to be American. We want to be Greenlandic”, he said at a news conference alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

“We have a desire for independence, a desire to be the master of our own house … This is something everyone should respect”, said Egede.

“But that doesn’t mean we are cutting all ties, all cooperation and all relations with Denmark”, he added.

Greenland is a “place that the Americans view as part of their world,” he added, noting that it is a part of the continent of North America. He claimed he was open to discussions about what “unites us” with Trump.

“Cooperation is about dialogue. Cooperation means that you will work towards solutions”, he said.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who also attended the news conference, said, “The debate on Greenlandic independence and the latest announcements from the US show us the large interest in Greenland. events that generated a lot of emotions in Greenland and Denmark, with many of them in motion.

” The US is our closest ally, and we will do everything to continue a strong cooperation, “she said.

Absolute necessity

Trump earlier this week refrained from using military or economic force to impose US rule over Greenland. As the US attempts to combat growing Russian and Chinese interests in the Arctic region, Trump claimed last month that “holding control” of Greenland was an absolute necessity.

Prior to his first term as president, Trump had previously pushed for purchasing Greenland from 2017 to 2021, even postponing a visit to Denmark after Frederiksen objected.

Further rumors that the president-elect would push to buy Greenland when he takes office on January 20 stemmed from a private visit by his son, Donald Trump Jr.

The US maintains a military base in the northern part of the&nbsp, strategically important&nbsp, territory, home to 57, 000 people.