Washington [US], December 24: US President-elect Donald Trump has again mentioned the ownership of Greenland, causing the island's leader to issue a statement in response.
"Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and never will be. We cannot afford to lose the long struggle for freedom," Greenland's government leader Mute Egede wrote in a statement to Denmark's DR.
The statement is believed to be in response to recent comments by US President-elect Donald Trump regarding the ownership of the icy island owned by Denmark but located just east of Canada and the US.
According to Reuters, Mr. Trump announced over the weekend that he would nominate former US ambassador to Sweden Ken Howery as ambassador to Denmark and commented on Greenland .
"For the sake of national security and freedom in the world , the United States finds it absolutely necessary to own and control Greenland," Trump wrote on social media .
Mr. Egede rejected the US idea but stressed his readiness to cooperate with international partners including the US.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's office also sent a statement to DR saying it had no further comments beyond what Mr. Egede had already mentioned, which was that Greenland was not for sale but was open to cooperation, according to Xinhua.
Opposition Conservative MP Rasmus Jarlov said the Danish government must make it clear that control of the island is not up for discussion or negotiation. Mr Jarlov, who heads the defence committee in the Danish parliament, also called for a ban and response to foreign attempts to control Danish territory.
In 2009, Greenland gained greater autonomy but is still dependent on Denmark in many aspects such as defense and foreign affairs. Greenland has an area of over 2.1 million km2 but only has about 56,000 people, most of whom live in the southwestern coastal area. Its main economic activity is fishing, despite its rich mineral and oil resources. The US currently maintains a military base on the island.
In 2019, Mr. Trump expressed his intention to buy Greenland but was immediately and flatly rejected by the Danish government.
Recently, he also made comments regarding the idea of annexing Canada as a US state or "reclaiming" control of the Panama Canal because of high shipping fees.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
