NUUK: Greenland's outgoing Prime Minister Mute Egede on Thursday said he would convene a meeting of party leaders to jointly reject US President Donald Trump’s vow to take over the island, warning that “Enough is enough.”
“This time we need to toughen our rejection of Trump. People cannot continue to disrespect us,“ Egede wrote on Facebook, after Trump earlier reiterated his desire to annex the autonomous Danish territory.
Egede continues to lead Greenland while awaiting the formation of a new government following his party's defeat in elections on Tuesday.
“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.”
Speaking at the White House alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump had responded to a question about annexing the island of 57,000 people by saying: “I think it will happen.”
Questioned as well, Rutte refused to comment on the issue.
In his first stint as US president from 2017-21, Trump had evoked the idea of buying Greenland from Denmark -- an idea rejected by both the mainland and its territory.
Since returning to power this year, Trump has stepped up his quest to acquire Greenland, but in much more bellicose terms.
Trump claims the US needs to own Greenland for its own security.
According to polls, most Greenlanders support independence from Denmark but not annexation by Washington.
