Greenlandic parties, sharp message to Trump: “We don't want to be Americans.” “No other country can interfere”
“We don't want to be Americans.” the parties in Greenland reaffirmed in a joint statement on Friday evening, after President Donald Trump said that the US must take control of the country to ensure its own security.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
“We don't want to be Americans, we don't want to be Danes, we want to be Greenlanders“, wrote the leaders of the five Greenlandic parties represented in the local parliament – the four that are part of the government, as well as the opposition party, which is in favor of a quick independence of the Danish autonomous territory, writes News.ro.
“The future of Greenland must be decided by the Greenlandic people,” they assure.
“No other country can interfere. We must decide the future of our country by ourselves, without pressure in favor of a hasty decision, without hesitation and without the interference of other countries”they insisted.
Donald Trump insists that the United States must take control of Greenland to ensure its own security against Beijing and Moscow.
“We cannot allow Russia or China to occupy Greenland. That's what they will do if we don't. So we will do something about Greenland, either peacefully or by force,” he said on Friday.
The Trump administration has in recent days renewed threats to take over Greenland and said officials would even consider using military force, amid a raid in Venezuela that led to the arrest and ouster of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
“We need Greenland from a national security point of view”Trump claimed in an exchange of words with journalists, on board Air Force One. “Right now, Greenland is full of Russian and Chinese ships, everywhere.”
Jess Berthelsen, president of SIK (the national trade union confederation of Greenland), strongly disputed this claim. The union represents thousands of employees, from civil servants to electricians, mechanics and fishermen.
“In Greenland, it's hard to understand the claims that Trump is making”he said.
“His claims about our waters being full of Russian and Chinese ships we don't see at all. We can't accept that hypothesis. The Danish Navy patrols Greenland waters and our big trawlers are everywhere too. If it was true, we would have been told by now. But there is no such thing. So what is he talking about?”
