Greenland’s possible new prime minister has rejected Donald Trump’s effort to take management of the island, saying Greenlanders have to be allowed to determine their very own future because it strikes towards independence from Denmark.
Jens-Frederik Nielsen, whose centre-right Democrats gained a shock victory on this week’s legislative elections and now should kind a coalition authorities, pushed again on Thursday in opposition to Trump’s repeated claims that the US will annex the island.
“We don’t want to be Americans. No, we don’t want to be Danes. We want to be Greenlanders, and we want our own independence in the future,” Nielsen, 33, instructed Sky Information. “And we want to build our own country by ourselves.”
Greenland’s outgoing prime minister, Múte Egede, mentioned he would convene a gathering of get together leaders to collectively reject Trump’s threats, warning: “Enough is enough.”
“This time we need to toughen our rejection of Trump. People cannot continue to disrespect us,” Egede wrote on Fb.
Egede continues to guide Greenland whereas a brand new authorities is shaped.
“The American president has once again evoked the idea of annexing us. I absolutely cannot accept that,” he wrote.
“I respect the result of the election, but I consider that I have an obligation as interim head of government: I have therefore asked the administration to summon the party heads as soon as possible.”
The feedback got here after Trump repeated his vow to take over the island on Thursday.
Throughout an Oval Workplace assembly with the Nato secretary basic Mark Rutte, Trump claimed that Greenland’s election had been “very good for us,” including: “The person who did the best is a very good person, as far as we’re concerned.”
Requested whether or not he thought the US would annex Greenland, Trump mentioned: “I think it’ll happen.”
Trump mentioned that “Denmark’s very far away” from Greenland and questioned whether or not that nation nonetheless had a proper to assert the world’s largest island.
“A boat landed there 200 years ago or something. And they say they have rights to it,” Trump mentioned. “I don’t know if that’s true. I don’t think it is, actually.”
Trump mentioned US management of Greenland could possibly be necessary for nationwide safety causes and even prompt Nato needs to be concerned, however Rutte demurred.
With most Greenlanders opposing Trump’s overtures, the election marketing campaign centered extra on points similar to healthcare and schooling than on geopolitics.
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The 31 women and men elected to parliament on Tuesday must set priorities for points similar to diversifying Greenland’s financial system, constructing infrastructure and bettering healthcare, in addition to shaping the nation’s technique for countering the US president’s “America first” agenda.
The Democrats gained 29.9% of the vote by campaigning to enhance housing and academic requirements whereas delaying independence till Greenland is self-sufficient. 4 years in the past, the get together completed in fourth place with 9.1%.
Nuuk resident Anthon Nielsen mentioned the get together’s victory could be good for the nation.
“Most politicians want Greenland to be independent,” he mentioned. “But this party who won, they don’t want to hurry things, so everything must be done right.”
Carina Ren, head of the Arctic program at Aalborg College in Copenhagen, mentioned the outcomes present that Greenlanders tried to disregard Trump and give attention to points that had been necessary to them.
“The voters have been able to drag down all the drama, all the alarmist talk from the outside to say: ‘Well, this is about our everyday lives, our everyday concerns as citizens. Where are we going, how are we going to develop our society from the inside.’”
Now, Demokraatit must flip its consideration to forming a governing coalition.
Naleraq, probably the most aggressively pro-independence get together, completed in second place, with 24.5% of the vote. It was adopted by Inuit Ataqatigiit, which led the final authorities, at 21.4%.
