Denmark said on Friday that it was serious about Greenland not to be on sale after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the interest of US President Donald Trump in acquiring the island “It’s not a joke.”
Trump said he will make Denmark’s autonomous territory part of the United States and did not rule out the possibility of using military or economic power to persuade Denmark to deliver it.
Rubio told Sirius XM’s The Megyn Kelly Show on Thursday (30) that the acquisition of Greenland was of US national interest. Trump did not rule out military coercion to acquire it so as not to take advantage of the table, he said.
“This is not a joke,” Rubio said. “It is not about acquiring land in order to acquire land. This is our national interest and needs to be resolved. ”
In response to Rubio’s interview, Denmark Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said, “I would be more surprised if he had said it was a joke.”
“We mean seriously – and this is also true in Greenland – that Greenland is not on sale.”
The island has about 57,000 inhabitants who govern its own internal affairs. Denmark is responsible for the defense and security of Greenland and states that only Greenlandes can decide their future. The United States operate an air base on site by virtue of a treaty.
Opinion research shows that most residents of Greenland are in favor of a more flexible relationship with Denmark, but also opposes that the territory becomes part of the United States.
