Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede, responded to the threat made by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to annex Greenland to the United States, stating that “the people of this Arctic region, rich in minerals, do not want to be Americans.”
In a press conference with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in Copenhagen, Egede added, “Greenland belongs to the people of Greenland. We don’t want to be Danish, and we don’t want to be Americans. We want to be Greenlanders.”
However, he acknowledged that he understands Trump’s interest in the island due to its strategic location.
Egede said that he is open to further cooperation with Washington.
A few days earlier, Trump had threatened that he would not rule out using force or economic pressure to make Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark, part of the United States. Trump considered the annexation a “national security issue” for the United States.
According to Egede, “Greenland is part of North America, a place that Americans see as part of their world.” He also confirmed that he had not spoken with Trump but was open to discussions on matters that “unite us.”
Egede has previously advocated for Greenland’s independence and has portrayed Denmark as a colonial power that has not always treated the indigenous Inuit (Eskimo) people well.
Recently, Trump expressed interest in purchasing the vast island, which covers over two million square kilometers and has a population of about 56,000. Trump claimed that annexing the island would be necessary for protecting the U.S.’s economic security.
