As Trump Covets Territory Greenland’s PM: We Don’t Want to Be Americans
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP/Reuters) – Greenland’s prime minister says that the mineral-rich Arctic territory’s people don’t want to be Americans, but that he understands U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s interest in the island given its strategic location.
The comments from the Greenlandic leader, Múte B. Egede, came after Trump said earlier this week that he wouldn’t rule out using force or economic pressure in order to make Greenland — a semiautonomous territory of Denmark — a part of the United States. Trump said that it was a matter of national security for the U.S.
Egede acknowledged that Greenland is part of the North American continent, and “a place that the Americans see as part of their world.” He said he hasn’t spoken to Trump, but that he’s open to discussions about what “unites us.”
“Cooperation is about dialogue. Cooperation means that you will work toward solutions,” he said.
Egede has been calling for independence for Greenland, casting Denmark as a colonial power that hasn’t always treated the Indigenous Inuit population well.
“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 in Copenhagen.
Trump’s desire for Greenland has sparked anxiety in Denmark as well as across Europe. The United States is a strong ally of 27-nation European Union and the leading member of the NATO alliance, and many Europeans were shocked by the suggestion that an incoming U.S. leader could even consider using force against an ally.
But Frederiksen said that she sees a positive aspect in the discussion.
“The debate on Greenlandic independence and the latest announcements from the U.S. show us the large interest in Greenland,” she said. “Events which set in motion a lot of thoughts and feelings with many in Greenland and Denmark.”
‘Denmark Sent Trump
Private Messages’
Denmark sent private messages to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s team expressing willingness to discuss boosting security in Greenland or increasing the U.S. military presence there without claiming the island, Axios reported on Saturday, citing two sources.
Axios said that the Danish government wanted to convince Trump that his security concerns could be addressed without claiming Greenland.
A spokesperson for the Trump transition team did not respond to a request for comment on the Axios report.
Frederiksen said earlier this week that she had asked for a meeting with Trump, but did not expect it to happen before his inauguration. Egede too said he was ready to speak with Trump but urged respect for the island’s independence aspirations.