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Amid repeated assertions from US President-elect Donald Trump over the territory of Greenland, Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told him that "only Greenland" should decide on its future, Politico reported.
The two leaders held a phone call on Wednesday, during which Frederiksen reiterated to Trump, Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute Egede's assertion that "Greenland is not for sale," a press release from Denmark PM's office stated. Frederiksen told Danish media that their conversation "confirmed" that "there is great American interest in Greenland." The call did not appear to bring the issue to a conclusion, with both leaders agreeing to continued dialogue. Trump recently expressed a desire to buy the mineral-rich island, and even said he would not rule out military action in the region, as per Politico. Trump did not speak about the call but posted the results of a 2019 poll on social media that found that 68 per cent of Greenlanders supported independence from Denmark. During their 45-minute conversation, Frederiksen also "emphasized the importance of strengthening security in the Arctic" and reminded Trump of the strong trade relationship between the two countries and between the US and EU more broadly, Politico reported. As per Politico, the two leaders also spoke about the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as relations with China. Earlier, Trump refused to rule out using military force in his attempt to get Greenland under US Control. The remarks came during a lengthy news conference by the President-elect at his residence Mar-a-Lago. According to a CBS News report when Trump was asked whether he could assure the world that as the US tries to get control of Greenland and the Panama Canal, it was not going to use military or economic coercion? He replied, "I can't assure you, you're talking about Panama and Greenland...No, I can't assure you on either of those two. But I can say this -- we need them for economic security." According to the Danish Government website, Greenland is officially the world's largest island that is not a continent. Home to 56,000 people, Greenland has its own extensive local government, but it is also part of the Realm of Denmark. Greenland has around 56,000 inhabitants. They mostly live in the 20 per cent of the country that is not covered by ice and snow. (ANI)
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