Greenland’s leader agrees to negotiations with US president Donald Trump

During a press conference in Denmark with Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen, Egede said that he was willing to enter discussions into what unites Greenland and the US.

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“We are ready to talk. Cooperation is about dialogue. Cooperation means that you will work towards solutions,” he said.

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

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Greenland has been a Danish colony since the 18th century and became a self-governing territory under Denmark in 1953. The country won the right to secure their independence in 2009 on the condition that they voted to do so.

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Currently, the strategically important and mineral-rich territory depends upon Denmark for its defence.

Trump’s comments on Greenland

Donald Trump, who will soon take office on January 20 as president of the United States called for control over Greenland as an “absolute necessity”, a sentiment he had expressed in 2019 as well.

During a press conference, he stated that the US needed to take hold of Greenland to ensure economic security. He also expressed interest in expanding the US territory into the Panama Canal.

Danish PM Mette Frederiksen told a Danish television channel that “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders” as quoted by the BBC and added that “Greenland is not for sale”.