COPENHAGEN (Reuters) –Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede said on Friday he was ready to speak with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who has said he wants control over the Arctic island, and urged respect for the island’s independence aspirations.
Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, has described U.S. control of Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory, as an “absolute necessity”. He did not dismiss the potential use of military or economic means, including tariffs against Denmark.
At a Copenhagen press conference, when asked if he had had contact with Trump, Egede responded: “No, but we are ready to talk.”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who also addressed the press conference, said on Thursday she had asked for a meeting with Trump, but did not expect it to happen before his inauguration.
Greenland, home to 57,000 people, was a Danish colony until 1953 but is now a self-governing Danish territory. In 2009, it secured the right to claim independence through a vote.
The U.S. maintains a military base in the northern part of the strategically important territory.
Egede emphasised Greenland‘s aspirations, saying: “We have a desire for independence, a desire to be the master of our own house … This is something everyone should respect.”
“But that doesn’t mean we are cutting all ties, all cooperation and all relations with Denmark,” he said.
An independence movement has gained momentum in recent years, which Egede discussed in his new year speech.
(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen, Louise Rasmussen and Isabelle Yr Carlsson, editing by Essi Lehto, Kevin Liffey and Rod Nickel)
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