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Prime Minister of Greenland Calls for Independence From Denmark


As President Trump floats the idea of buying Greenland, the country’s leader is speaking out.

Greenland Prime Minister MĂște Egede is now calling for independence from Denmark, its mother country.

In an annual speech, Egede claimed that the work is being done to achieve independence, with a new constitution being drafted and a framework for governance being prepared.

The Hill has more details:

Greenland Prime Minister MĂște Egede announced a desire to obtain independence from Denmark in the wake of President-elect Trump’s comments about buying the island territory.

“The Greenlandic people’s opportunity for independence has been adopted through the provisions of the Self-Government Act, thereby creating a legal basis for how independence can be achieved,” Egede said in a Wednesday speech in honor of the new year.

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“A draft constitution for our country has also been prepared,” he said. “Work has already begun with regard to creating the framework for Greenland as an independent state within the possibilities and provisions of the Self-Government Act.”

The leader said a new development for Greenland is “imminent” days after Trump took a second pass at purchasing the land, which sits in the prominent Arctic region.

“For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” Trump said in a Dec. 22 Truth Social post.

Egede hit back in a statement, declaring Greenland was not for sale and would undertake every effort to not be acquired by the U.S.

The Washington Examiner added:

The prime minister of Greenland called on the country to strive for greater independence from its mother country, Denmark, in a New Year’s address delivered this week, in light of the controversy surrounding President-elect Donald Trump’s calls for the U.S. to purchase the island.

Prime Minister MĂște Egede said in the annual speech that Greenland must take greater control of its own diplomacy and international alliances, suggesting that deference to Denmark on international affairs has held the country back.

“Like other countries in the world, we must work to remove the obstacles to cooperation, which we can describe as the shackles of the colonial era, and move on,” Egede said.

He continued, “The history and current conditions have shown that our cooperation with the Kingdom of Denmark has not succeeded in creating full equality.”

Greenland is a self-governing territory of Denmark. It gained independence and ceased functioning as a colony in 1979 after a referendum found a majority of Greenland citizens favored greater autonomy.

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It is one of three autonomous countries under the jurisdiction of the Kingdom of Denmark, the others being the Faroe Islands and Denmark proper.



 

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