Greenlandic leader Moute Egede said he was ready to enter into negotiations with President-elect Trump over the future of the mineral-rich Arctic region, but warned his people were not interested in becoming American. .
Speaking at a press conference Friday in Denmark, which exercises nominal sovereignty over Greenland, Egede said Greenland is “a place that Americans consider part of their world.” Although he has not yet spoken to President Trump, he said, “I am willing to accept it.” We discuss what unites us. ”
“We are ready to talk,” he said. “Cooperation means dialogue. Cooperation means working towards solutions.”
Mr. Egede was also joined at the press conference by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
Greenland has been a Danish colony since the 18th century, but became an autonomous Danish territory in 1953.
In 2009, the island won the right to secure independence through a referendum, a move Egede supports.
“We have a desire to be independent, to be the masters of our own homes…This is something that everyone should respect,” he said. “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders. We don’t want to be Danes, we don’t want to be Americans. We want to be Greenlanders.”
Greenland’s strategic importance has grown exponentially in recent years as the ice-clogged Arctic waterways thaw and world powers compete for new real estate between the United States and Russia.
The territory and its surrounding waters are rich in important natural resources.
In the current situation, Denmark retains responsibility for the island’s defense.
Axios reports that the country has sent private messages to Team Trump in recent days expressing its intention to discuss how it can meet U.S. security needs without ceding formal sovereignty. It is said that
with post wire
