Greenland is “not on the market”, its prime minister stated right this moment, responding to an insinuation by Donald Trump that possession and management of this enormous Arctic island – a semi-autonomous a part of the Kingdom of Denmark for the previous 600 years – is already within the crosshairs. market” of the Republican president-elect throughout his first time period within the White Home.
“For causes of nationwide safety and freedom all over the world, the USA of America believes that possession and management of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” the Republican billionaire wrote yesterday on Fact Social (a social media outlet he owns), with out specifying what he meant
This obscure assertion by him is harking back to his intention, which he brazenly acknowledged in 2019, throughout his first time period as president, that he had thought of the potential for the US shopping for Greenland, speaking a few potential “huge actual property transaction” that will be ” strategically attention-grabbing”.
The case then brought on a diplomatic disaster with Denmark, a NATO member state that owns this frozen space that’s 4 occasions the dimensions of France.
In Trump's statements in 2019, the – then and now – Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen known as Trump's proposal “absurd”. Reacting, the Republican president on the time criticized her rejection and canceled an official go to to Copenhagen.
“Greenland is ours,” Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egende responded right this moment, the day after Trump's announcement.
“We aren’t on the market, and we by no means will probably be. We should not surrender our lengthy wrestle for freedom,” Egende wrote on Fb, including: “Nevertheless, we should stay open to cooperation and worldwide commerce, and particularly with our neighbors.”
Denmark's international ministry and Frederiksen's workplace weren’t instantly obtainable to touch upon Trump's remarks.
Trump's publish yesterday was accompanied by the announcement of the appointment of the following US ambassador to Copenhagen, Ken Howery, former US ambassador to Sweden, financier and co-founder of PayPal.
The previous and future US president, earlier within the weekend, threatened to take again management of the Panama Canal.
Self-governing since 1979, Greenland, with a inhabitants of 56,000, has an enormous space of almost 2.2 million sq. kilometers, has its personal flag, language, tradition, establishments and prime minister.
Its pure sources (oil, gasoline, gold, diamond, uranium, zinc, lead) and international warming, which opens up new sea lanes, excite the needs of the USA, China and Russia particularly.
Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, just lately obtained a brand new runway to accommodate bigger plane and increase the nation's tourism trade. From the summer time of 2025, the capital will probably be linked to New York with two flights per week.
Greenland is house to Pitufik Air Base, a key a part of the US ballistic missile early warning system.
Supply: APE-MPE-AFP-Reuters
