The leaders of five Greenland political parties in parliament issued a joint statement late Friday after US President Donald Trump again suggested the use of force to seize the Danish autonomous territory declaring the future of the island should be decided by Greenlanders.
"We don't want to be Americans, we don't want to be Danish, we want to be Greenlanders," the leaders of five parties in parliament said in a joint statement.
"The future of Greenland must be decided by Greenlanders," they added.
The statement came hours after Trump once again asserted that the US needs to own Greenland.
"We are going to do something on Greenland whether they like it or not. Because if we don't do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland, and we're not going to have Russia or China as a neighbour," Trump told reporters at the White House while meeting with oil company executives.
Trump said the US must acquire Greenland, even though it already has a military presence on the island under a 1951 agreement. The island of 57,000 people is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.
"You defend ownership. You don't defend leases," Trump added.
Read moreTaking over Greenland, a long-standing US obsession
'I'm a fan of Denmark'
Denmark and other European allies have voiced shock at Trump's threats to take control of Greenland, where the US already has a military base.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that an invasion of Greenland would end "everything", meaning the transatlantic NATO defence pact and the post-World War II security structure.
On Tuesday, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Britain and Denmark issued a joint statement, saying only Greenland and Denmark can decide matters regarding their relations.
Trump has made light of the concerns of Denmark, a steadfast US ally that joined the United States in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
"I'm a fan of Denmark, too, I have to tell you. And you know, they've been very nice to me," Trump said.
"But you know, the fact that they had a boat land there 500 years ago doesn't mean that they own the land."
Read moreEurope Rendezvous: Denmark, an open economy
Rubio meets NATO chief
The latest joint statement by Greenland's top political parties comes as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is due to meet next week with Denmark's foreign minister and representatives from Greenland.
NATO chief Mark Rutte on Friday discussed efforts to bolster Arctic security with Rubio ahead of newt week's discussions.
NATO has sought to deflect Washington's interest in Greenland by emphasising steps it is taking to bolster security in the region.
A NATO spokeswoman said Rutte spoke with Rubio "on the importance of the Arctic to our shared security and how NATO is working to enhance our capabilities in the High North."
While Denmark's prime minister has warned that an armed US attack to take Greenland could spell the end for the 76-year-old Western military alliance, the head of NATO's forces in Europe, US General Alexus Grynkewich, said Friday the alliance was far from being in "a crisis".
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and Reuters)
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