Greenland PM Rejects Syahwat Trump To Control His Territory: We Don't Want To Be American

Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede / PHOTO via Wikimedia Commons / US Department of State

JAKARTA - Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede said the Greenland people would determine their own future and would not want to be Danish or American.

Egede made his statement in reaction to US President Donald Trump reaffirming his desire to make Greenland, which is currently a semi-autonomous territory of the Danish kingdom, part of the United States.

"We don't want to be Americans or Danish, we are Kalaallit (Urks). The Americans and their leaders must understand that," Egede said.

"We are not for sale and cannot be taken. Our future is determined by us in Greenland," he added.

The Greenland government is currently in a temporary period ahead of the election scheduled for March 11. This campaign mainly centers on the island's independence aspirations given Trump's interests.

Danish Foreign Minister separately emphasized that it was important for Trump to recognize Greenland's right to self-determination in his speech to Congress.

Polls show that most Greenlandans oppose joining the United States, although the majority support independence from Denmark. The Danish government says the Arctic island must determine its own future and not for sale.

Trump said (they) respected the right to self-determination in Greenland, and I think that was the most important part of his speech, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said at a news conference in Helsinki on Wednesday.