The Prime Minister of Denmark has told Donald Trump that it is up to the residents of Greenland to decide on any independence.
Trump has said that control of Greenland was an "absolute necessity" and did not rule out using military or economic action such as tariffs against Denmark to make it happen.
However, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that the territory is "not for sale" but added that it is up to Greenland to decide its future.
Frederiksen also emphasised the importance of strengthening security in the Arctic and that Denmark was open to taking a greater responsibility.
Frederiksen's office said in a statement: "In the conversation [with President-elect Trump] the Prime Minister referred to the statements of the Chairman of the Greenlandic Parliament, Mute B. Egede, that Greenland is not for sale.
"The Prime Minister emphasised that it is up to Greenland itself to make a decision on independence."
It comes as Greenland’s mining minister said Trump’s proposal to buy the territory could be a "wake-up call to Copenhagen" but warned it could be "devastating" blow to how Greenland is perceived by investors.
Naaja Nathanielsen said the Republican's rhetoric, and in particular his refusal to rule out using force to take over the island, risked damaging its image as a stable, resource-rich democracy.
Nathanielsen told the Financial Times: "When he talked about not excluding military use in Greenland I was quite worried about how investors would perceive Greenland, maybe as a democracy about to be unstable or overrun. That would be devastating for our mineral sector because investors do not like instability."
However, she told The Guardian how the government in Nuuk had been trying to drum up interest in collaboration with both the EU and the US for "many years" but it was only now that it was getting the attention it had been seeking.
She said: "We have been trying to get more involvement from both the EU and the United States for many years now, so I think this is to some extent, I would say with some hesitance, the kind of attention we have been seeking.
"In my everyday life as a minister for natural resources in Greenland I get a lot of attention from foreign press … I hardly ever speak to Danish press."
Roderick McIllree, executive director of 80 Mile, a UK-listed miner with three projects in Greenland, said he believes there is a chance that Trump can provide clarity once he returns to the White House on January 20.
He told the FT: "People think Greenland is too hard, too hard. Then Donald Trump turns up and says Greenland is maybe the most valuable piece of real estate in the world, and suddenly everyone wants to invest.
"It’s a paradigm shift in sentiment. Greenland is now on the agenda. It’s a land of incredible opportunity."
Find Out More...
Trump has said that control of Greenland was an "absolute necessity" and did not rule out using military or economic action such as tariffs against Denmark to make it happen.
However, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that the territory is "not for sale" but added that it is up to Greenland to decide its future.
Frederiksen also emphasised the importance of strengthening security in the Arctic and that Denmark was open to taking a greater responsibility.
Frederiksen's office said in a statement: "In the conversation [with President-elect Trump] the Prime Minister referred to the statements of the Chairman of the Greenlandic Parliament, Mute B. Egede, that Greenland is not for sale.
"The Prime Minister emphasised that it is up to Greenland itself to make a decision on independence."
It comes as Greenland’s mining minister said Trump’s proposal to buy the territory could be a "wake-up call to Copenhagen" but warned it could be "devastating" blow to how Greenland is perceived by investors.
Naaja Nathanielsen said the Republican's rhetoric, and in particular his refusal to rule out using force to take over the island, risked damaging its image as a stable, resource-rich democracy.
Nathanielsen told the Financial Times: "When he talked about not excluding military use in Greenland I was quite worried about how investors would perceive Greenland, maybe as a democracy about to be unstable or overrun. That would be devastating for our mineral sector because investors do not like instability."
However, she told The Guardian how the government in Nuuk had been trying to drum up interest in collaboration with both the EU and the US for "many years" but it was only now that it was getting the attention it had been seeking.
She said: "We have been trying to get more involvement from both the EU and the United States for many years now, so I think this is to some extent, I would say with some hesitance, the kind of attention we have been seeking.
"In my everyday life as a minister for natural resources in Greenland I get a lot of attention from foreign press … I hardly ever speak to Danish press."
Roderick McIllree, executive director of 80 Mile, a UK-listed miner with three projects in Greenland, said he believes there is a chance that Trump can provide clarity once he returns to the White House on January 20.
He told the FT: "People think Greenland is too hard, too hard. Then Donald Trump turns up and says Greenland is maybe the most valuable piece of real estate in the world, and suddenly everyone wants to invest.
"It’s a paradigm shift in sentiment. Greenland is now on the agenda. It’s a land of incredible opportunity."
Find Out More...