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Greenland does not want to be American or Danish, but independent, the prime minister of the Arctic island said at the end of a stormy week after the decision of the newly elected US President Donald Trump. refusal to turn off the force take control of the territory.
Múte Egede said the “status quo is not an option” as he outlined the desire of the vast and geopolitically key island of 57,000 to have “its own voice” by gaining independence from Denmark and rejecting Trump’s attempts to buy it Greenland.
“We don’t want to be Danes, we don’t want to be Americans, we want to be Greenlanders,” he said at a news conference on Friday.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said at the same meeting that Greenland’s desire for independence was “legitimate and understandable,” while she called American interest in the autonomous territory “positive.”
Frederiksen added that she wants to keep together the Kingdom of Denmark, which includes Denmark, Greenland and the autonomous territory of the Faroe Islands. “I personally believe that we are stronger in the global game if we stick together,” she pointed out.
Trump this week refused to rule out the use of military force against NATO allies to bring Greenland under US control as Washington seeks to counter growing Russian and Chinese interests in the Arctic.
The world’s largest non-continental island is already home to a US military base and is considered central to Arctic security, as well as the start of two new subpolar shipping routes, and possesses large amounts of rare earths and other minerals.
Greenland, which has home rule over most issues except foreign and security policy provided by Denmark, has long wanted independence but has struggled to find enough economic growth to sever ties with Copenhagen.
Egede, who has repeatedly stressed that Greenland is not for sale, said the territory was open to cooperation with the US as it had long done, but insisted that its fate would be decided by Greenlanders. He said Trump’s military threat was “serious” but that Greenlanders must avoid becoming “hysterical”.
“When I talk to the leader of another country, I have to be together with the Danish ambassador. These are things in which we want to have our voice”, he added.
Frederiksen is seeking a meeting with Trump to discuss the matter and said the president-elect did not raise the topic of Greenland with her when they spoke after his election victory in November.
“It is positive for us to see the increasing interest of the USA in Greenland. . . There is a need for closer cooperation in the field of investment and business and mineral exploitation. On the Danish side, we are happy to continue investing in Greenland,” added the Danish Prime Minister.
Danish politicians, including Frederiksen, reacted with anger and derision when Trump first proposed buying Greenland in 2019. But this time they responded in a much more nuanced way, insisting that the island is not for sale, but that they want to work with the US in the Arctic.
Danish ministers have admitted that they have not invested enough in the defense of Greenland, where they only have four ships, a surveillance aircraft and a few dog sled patrols. They have promised up to $2 billion in additional investment, but officials have said privately that they depend on NATO and the US military to fully protect the islands.
Chinese companies tried to invest in Greenland’s airports and in several mining projects, but were turned down by the US and Denmark.
