Greenland’s political leadership has issued a united rejection of US President Donald Trump’s renewed calls for Washington to take control of the Arctic island, saying its future can only be decided by its own people.
“We don't want to be Americans, we don't want to be Danes, we want to be Greenlanders,” Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and the leaders of four other parties said in a joint statement released on Friday night.
The statement came hours after Trump once again said he wanted the United States to acquire Greenland, a semiautonomous territory that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and a NATO ally.
Trump said he preferred to do it “the easy way”, warning that if the US did not own Greenland, Russia or China could take control of it. “If we don't do it the easy way, we're going to do it the hard way,” Trump said, without explaining what that meant.
The White House later said it was considering a range of options, including the use of military force, to acquire the island. Greenland’s leaders responded by reiterating that “Greenland's future must be decided by the Greenlandic people.”
“As Greenlandic party leaders, we would like to emphasise once again our wish that the United States' contempt for our country ends,” the statement said.
Officials from Denmark, Greenland and the United States met in Washington on Thursday and are expected to meet again next week, as the White House presses its case for control of the island.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that an American takeover of Greenland would effectively end NATO, an alliance built on collective defence among its members.
In their statement, Greenland’s party leaders said that “the work on Greenland's future takes place in dialogue with the Greenlandic people and is prepared on the basis of international laws.”
“No other country can interfere in this,” they said. “We must decide the future of our country ourselves, without pressure for quick decision, delay or interference from other countries.”
The statement was signed by Nielsen, Pele Broberg, Mute B. Egede, Aleqa Hammond and Aqqalu C. Jerimiassen, representing all major political forces in Greenland.
Greenland is the largest island in the world, but its population is only around 57,000. It does not have its own military, with defence handled by Denmark, whose armed forces are far smaller than those of the United States.
How other NATO members would react if the US attempted to take control of Greenland by force remains unclear.
The pushback from Greenland’s leadership continued with an announcement that the island’s parliament, the Inatsisartut, would bring forward a meeting to discuss its response to US threats.
“We emphasise once again our desire for the U.S. contempt for our country to end,” the leaders of all five political parties elected to Greenland's parliament said in a joint statement late on Friday.
“We do not want to be Americans, we do not want to be Danes, we want to be Greenlanders,” they said, in a statement posted on social media by Prime Minister Nielsen.
The parliamentary meeting is being advanced to ensure “that a fair and comprehensive political debate takes place and that the people's rights are secured,” the leaders said. The date has not yet been set.
Greenland’s parliament last met in November and was scheduled to meet again on February 3.
Trump, meanwhile, has said the United States “must own Greenland” to prevent Russia or China from occupying what he described as a strategically located and minerals-rich territory.
He also said on Friday that he would “do something on Greenland whether they like it or not,” arguing that the current US military presence on the island, based on a 1951 agreement with Denmark, was insufficient.
Trump’s renewed push has caused concern among many Greenlanders, whose long-term goal is to become an independent nation.
A 2009 agreement between Greenland and Denmark recognised the right of Greenlanders to choose independence through a referendum. While all five parties support independence, they differ on the timing and process.
“We must decide the future of our country ourselves, without pressure for a quick decision, delay or interference from other countries,” the party leaders said again, stressing that they seek dialogue based on diplomacy and international principles.
