PM Nielsen: Greenland is Our Country, Decisions are Made Here

Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen. (Wikimedia Commons/European Parliament)

Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen on Tuesday stressed that decisions on the autonomous region's future would be made on the island, after President Donald Trump had reaffirmed that the United States needed the Danish autonomous region for "national security."

"Greenland is our country. Our decisions are made here," PM Nielsen wrote in a post on Facebook, as reported by Al Arabiya from AFP (23/12).

In his post, PM Nielsen said he was "sad" after hearing President Trump's renewed desire to take over Greenland.

"Such words reduce our country to a matter of security and power. It is not how we see ourselves, and it is not how we in Greenland can or should be portrayed," wrote PM Nielsen.

He also thanked the people of Greenland for facing the situation "calmly and with dignity", and appreciated the support of other government leaders.

"This support confirms that we are not alone here," he said.

Since returning to the White House in January, President Trump has repeatedly said the United States "needs" the resource-rich autonomous region for security reasons and has refused to rule out the use of force to secure it.

On Sunday, President Trump appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland, sparking the ire of Denmark which then summoned the US Ambassador to the country.

"We need Greenland for national security. Not for minerals," President Trump said at a news conference in Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday.

"We have to have it," he continued, adding that Landry "wants to lead the effort."

Landry himself immediately promised after his appointment to make the Danish territory "part of the US."

Danish and Greenlandic leaders have repeatedly stressed that the vast island is not for sale and that it will determine its own future.

Most of Greenland's 57,000 residents want to break away from Denmark, but do not want to be part of the United States, according to a poll in January.

In August, Denmark summoned the US charge d'affaires after at least three US officials close to President Trump were spotted in Greenland's capital, Nuuk, trying to find out how the public felt about deepening ties with the US.