The Greenland government has responded to United States President Donald Trump's latest comments about the territory with a statement, insisting that it "under no circumstances can it accept" the US desire to take over Greenland, the British newspaper The Guardian reports today.
The statement emphasized that Greenland is "part of the Kingdom of Denmark" and that "as part of the Danish Royal Commonwealth, Greenland is a member of NATO, and that the defense of Greenland must therefore be (implemented) through NATO."
"Based on the very positive statement by six NATO member states regarding Greenland, the Government of Greenland will step up efforts to ensure that the defense of Greenland takes place under the auspices of NATO. All NATO member states, including the United States, have a common interest in the defense of Greenland, and therefore the ruling coalition in Greenland will work with Denmark to ensure that the dialogue on the defense of Greenland, as well as its development, takes place within the framework of cooperation within NATO," the Greenland Government said in a statement.
It added that the ruling coalition "believes that Greenland will forever be part of the Western defense alliance."
The Guardian also reports that Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen went a step further, posting on Facebook that he understood the discomfort with which many people followed reports of American interest in Greenland.
"That's why it's important to be absolutely clear: Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and part of NATO through the Community. That means our security and defense belong to NATO. That's a fundamental and firm line," Nilsen said.
He acknowledged that "there has been a lot of international attention focused on our country" and that this is "positive in itself," as it reflects the "strategic importance" of the territory.
He then repeated part of the government's statement about working to strengthen the security of the territory through NATO, and then emphatically emphasized: "We are a democratic society that makes its own decisions. And our actions are based on international law and the rules that govern relations between states."
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said yesterday that Denmark is at a "crucial moment" due to Trump's threats to take over Greenland, The Guardian reported yesterday, adding that Frederiksen accused the US of potentially turning its back on NATO.
Speaking at a party leaders' debate at a political rally, the Danish prime minister also said yesterday that her country "is at a crossroads."
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"We are at a crossroads and this is a fateful moment. The stakes are higher than they seem at first glance, because if what we are experiencing from the Americans means that they are truly turning their backs on the Western alliance, turning their backs on our cooperation within NATO by threatening an ally, which we have never experienced before, then everything will come to a standstill," Frederiksen said.
On January 9, Trump again threatened to take over Greenland, saying that the US would do it "by any means necessary," regardless of Denmark's position.
Reuters also reported on January 9 that four unnamed sources told it that US officials had discussed the possibility of lump-sum payments to Greenlanders as one way to persuade them to secede from Denmark and potentially join the United States.
Bloomberg reported yesterday that a group of European countries, led by Germany and Great Britain, are preparing a coordinated military response in the Arctic to counter Trump's attempts to annex Greenland.
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Greenland is strategically located between Europe and North America, making it a key location for the US ballistic missile defense system. Its rich mineral resources also fit into Washington's goal of reducing dependence on China.
The island is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. It has its own parliament and government, but Copenhagen retains jurisdiction over foreign policy and defense.
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