Greenland’s new Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said Sunday that US pronouncements about the mineral-rich Arctic island have been disrespectful and that Greenland “will never, ever be a piece of property that can be bought by just anyone.”
Nielsen made the remarks while standing alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on the second day of a three-day official tour, defying US President Donald Trump’s desire to take control of the crucial region. Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark.
“The talks from the United States have not been respectful,” Nielsen said during a news conference at the prime minister’s official residence, Marienborg, in Lyngby, 12 kilometers (8 miles) north of Copenhagen.
“The words used were disrespectful. That is why, in this situation, we must stand together,” he said.
Greenland’s political parties, who have been moving toward independence from Denmark for years, recently decided to create a broad-based new coalition government in response to Trump’s plans for the province.
Greenland’s administration said Nielsen’s three-day visit, which began Saturday, was intended to foster future cooperation between the two countries.
“Denmark is willing to invest in Greenlandic society, and this is not merely for historical reasons. “We also have that because we are part of the Danish commonwealth,” Frederiksen explained.
“We of course have a will to also continue investing in the Greenlandic society,” according to her.
Nielsen will see King Frederik X on Monday before heading to Greenland with him for a royal visit.
Frederiksen and Nielsen were asked if a meeting between them and Trump was scheduled.
“We always want to meet with the American president,” Frederiksen stated. “Of course, we want to. But I believe we have been very explicit in defining the (Danish commonwealth’s) approach to all areas of the Kingdom of Denmark.”