Greenland's Prime Minister calls upon political party heads following Trump's persistent stance on annexation.
Greenland's outgoing prime minister confronted Trump's audacious annexation plans on Thursday, huddling up party leaders to beef up their opposition. The uproar came hot on the heels of Trump's confident remarks about the US taking over Greenland during an Oval Office chat with NATO's General, Mark Rutte.
At the meeting, Trump declared confidently that the US annexation of Greenland "will happen." Controversially, he justified his vision by stating, "We need that for international security. Not just security, international."
While Rutte refrained from directly commenting on Trump's statement, he didn't dismiss the significance of the Arctic region. "We know things are changing there, and we have to be there."
Reacting to Trump's unwelcome remarks, Greenland's prime minister, Mute Egede, fired back on Facebook. "The U.S. president has once again aired the thought of annexing us," Reuters reported. "Enough is enough," he added.
Seeking solidarity, Egebe requested a meeting with party leaders to escalate their rejection of Trump's divisive annexation plan. Joining the resistance, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, the leader of Greenland's pro-business Demokraatit party, adamantly rejected Trump's statement on Facebook. "Trump's statement from the US is inappropriate and just shows once again that we must stand together in such situations," he posted.
Greenland's political landscape has been in turmoil recently, with the election this week centered around Trump's annexation threat and growing demands for independence from Denmark.
Trump's ambitious plan to grab Greenland, home to about 57,000 people, has sparked opposition from every dominant party in Greenland's parliament.
Although Denmark ruled Greenland as a colony until 1953, Greenland achieved greater self-governance during that time. In 2009, Greenland gained more control over matters such as minerals, law enforcement, and courts. However, Denmark maintain control over security, defense, foreign and monetary policies. Greenland benefits from Denmark's memberships in the European Union and NATO.
The international community has been shone a spotlight on Greenland due to the potential annexation, raising concerns about the island's security as the US, Russia, and China jockey for influence in the Arctic.
Rutte, while not commenting directly on Trump's statement, acknowledged the importance of the Arctic region, stating, "We know things are changing there, and we have to be there." In response to the US annexation plans,Greenland's prime minister, Mute Egede, called for a meeting with party leaders to escalate their rejection of Trump's divisive plan, saying "Enough is enough." Moreover, Jens-Frederick Nielsen, the leader of Greenland's pro-business Demokraatit party, vehemently rejected Trump's statement, stating, "Trump's statement from the US is inappropriate and just shows once again that we must stand together in such situations."
