Greenland Ready for Business with Trump But Not For Sale

The autonomous island’s prime minister says they don’t want to be Americans or Danes

Tue Jan 14 2025
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News Desk

  • Trump has hinted at occupying Greenland
  • Greenland, Denmark have responded fiercely
  • Greenland already has a US military base

Islamabad: Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede has said they do not want to be Americans or Danes but they were open to business.

“We don’t want to be Danes. We don’t want to be Americans. Of course, we want to be Greenlanders,” he said.

US president-elect Donald Trump sparked debate last week when he refused to rule out military intervention to bring the Panama Canal and Greenland under US control.

According to Greenlandic public broadcaster KNR, the autonomous Artic nation was open to closer ties with the United States.

“We need to do business with the US. We have begun to start a dialogue and seek opportunities for cooperation with [Donald] Trump,” Mute Egede said at a press conference in Greenland.

He added that the territory had its “doors open in terms of mining”.

“It will be the same in the coming years. We have to trade with the US,” he said.

However, Egede did not give any indication the island would be open to a US takeover.

Precarious position

Donald Trump, who takes office on January 20 has pushed its NATO ally Denmark in a precarious position with his firebrand statements.

The US already has troops in Greenland at a military base in the northwest.

The world’s largest island has strategic significance and has massive untapped mineral and oil reserves.

Although oil and uranium exploration is banned.

Greenland is also seeking independence from Denmark. It can do it with a referendum.

Purchase bid

Trump’s Republican allies in the US House of Representatives are trying to build support for a bill on authorising talks for the purchase of Greenland, according to a copy of the bill circulated for co-sponsors on Monday, Reuters reported.

Trump first claimed that he wanted to buy Greenland in 2019 during his first term as president – an offer swiftly rebuffed by Greenland and Denmark.

Where is Greenland?

Located in the North Atlantic Ocean, Greenland is the world’s largest island. The island is more than three times the size of the state of Texas.

Its nearest neighbour is Canada’s Ellesmere Island, which is located 26 kilometres to the north of Greenland.

A territory that is 80 per cent covered in snow and is more than 3,000km (1,864 miles) from the US capital, Washington, DC.

Greenland is home to some 56,000 residents, mostly Indigenous Inuit people.

What is Greenland’s status?

The Arctic island is one of Denmark’s two autonomous territories, the other one being the Faroe Islands.

The island was under Danish rule from the early 18th century until 1979, when it became a self-governing territory.

Since 2009, Greenland has the right to declare independence through a referendum.

Greenland is by default a part of NATO by default since Denmark is a part of the North Atlantic military alliance.

According to the EU website, the island is not a member of the European Union.

It, however, is associated with it as one of the 25 overseas countries and territories (OCTs) of the EU.

Hence, Greenlanders are considered to be EU citizens.

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