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by IANS |
Oslo, March 14 (IANS) Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen on Friday dismissed speculation that Greenland might become part of the United States, following remarks by US President Donald Trump suggesting a potential US annexation of the island.
Speaking about the recent election in Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, Rasmussen said that it would be incorrect to interpret the results as a sign of imminent independence or any intention to join the United States.
"If I read the Greenlandic election correctly, I believe that Greenland will remain part of the Danish Commonwealth for quite some time," Rasmussen said. "This is a Commonwealth that needs to be renewed and modernized, and I hope we will work together to strengthen the Greenlandic economy even further."
He also dismissed any suggestion that Greenlanders wished to abandon their ties with Denmark. "I do not see any indication from the Greenlandic election that there is a desire to leave the Commonwealth in favour of becoming American," he said.
Trump, speaking on Thursday during a meeting with North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office, claimed that he believed the United States would eventually annex Greenland, calling Denmark "very far away" from the territory despite its status as an autonomous region within the Danish Kingdom.
In response, Rutte distanced himself from the issue, stating that discussions regarding Greenland's status fell outside his purview and that NATO should not be involved, Xinhua news agency reported.
Greenland, the world's largest island with a population of around 60,000, was a Danish colony until 1953, when it became an integral part of Denmark with Greenlanders given Danish citizenship. In 1979, Greenland achieved home rule, gaining greater self-governance while Denmark retained authority over its foreign and defence policy.
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