Greenland's prime minister says US comments about mineral-rich island were 'disrespectful'

Greenland's new Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said on Sunday that US comments about the mineral-rich island had been disrespectful, stressing that Greenland "will never, ever be a property that can be bought by anyone."

His comments came after a meeting with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen at her official residence on Sunday, on the second day of a three-day official visit.

Nielsen's statements were in response to US President Donald Trump's repeated state interest in taking control of the mineral-rich Arctic island.

During the press conference, Nielsen said that "the conversations from the United States have not been respectful."

He continued, "the words used were not respectful. That is why we must, in this situation, stand together."

Greenland's political parties, which have advocated for eventual independence from Denmark for years, recently formed a broad-based coalition government in response to Trump's ambitions regarding the territory.

The Greenlandic government said Nielsen's three-day visit, which began on Saturday, was aimed at fostering future cooperation between the two nations.

"Denmark has the will to invest in Greenlandic society, and we don't just have this for historical reasons. We also have this because we are part of the (Danish) commonwealth with each other," Frederiksen said.

"Of course we have the will to continue investing in Greenlandic society," she continued.

When asked if a meeting between them and Trump was in the works, Frederiksen replied: "We always want to meet with the American president. Of course we do. But I think we have been very, very clear about what the (Danish commonwealth's) approach is to all parts of the Kingdom of Denmark."Telegraph/