U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated his intention to purchase Greenland, a Danish territory, during his inauguration the previous day, but Greenland Prime Minister M?te Bourup Egede rejected the idea on the 20th (local time), saying, "We do not want to become Americans."
According to the British daily The Guardian and others on the same day, Prime Minister Egede stated at a press conference, "We are Greenlanders," adding, "We do not want to become Americans. We do not want to become Danes either."
He further emphasized, "The future of Greenland will be decided by Greenland."
However, he mentioned that cooperation with the U.S. is possible in areas such as security, and that he is trying to meet directly with President Trump to accurately convey Greenland's demands.
The day before, President Trump did not mention Greenland during his inauguration ceremony, but at an executive order signing event held at the White House, he stated, "We need Greenland for international security," and claimed, "The people of Greenland are not happy with Denmark. They would be happy with us."
Denmark also responded.
On the same day, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said regarding President Trump's remarks, "We take the current situation very seriously," and pointed out, "Even great powers cannot have a world order where they do whatever they want."
Minister Rasmussen also said, "If it means that Denmark must share joint responsibility for the security of the area around Greenland and the Arctic region, we agree," but added, "It is a clear fact that Greenland is not for sale, and the Greenland government leader (Prime Minister M?te Bourup Egede) has made it clear that there is no intention to become Americans."
On the same day, the Danish government convened an emergency meeting with key politicians and business executives to prepare a response to President Trump's statement about purchasing Greenland.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
