NUUK, Greenland (AP) — Greenland is hosting meetings with American officials at the end of a year in which U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up talk of a U.S. takeover of the mineral-rich island, which is a semiautonomous territory of Denmark.
The meetings Monday and Tuesday include those of a “joint committee” between Greenland and American officials, and a “permanent committee” that involves the Danish government, Greenland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Science said. Similar meetings were held last year in the United States.
Vivian Motzfeldt, who heads the ministry, said in a statement before the meetings that Greenland was “pleased” to host the talks as a way to ensure that the interests of Greenlanders and Americans were respected.
In a brief statement to reporters before the meeting, according to a translation of a report by Greenlandic publication Sermistiaq, she said that she wanted to emphasize that it was up to Greenlanders to choose their own future.
Kenneth Howery, the U.S. ambassador in Copenhagen, said that the “joint committee” relationship dates back more than a generation — but the friendship is far older, according to an email of his comments from the embassy.
“The United States values our friendship with Greenland, which goes back more than 80 years,” said Howery, who was joined by Brendan Hanrahan, a senior U.S. State Department official. “We respect the people of Greenland’s right to determine their future.”
The Danish Foreign Ministry and the Greenland Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Science didn’t immediately respond to emails from The Associated Press seeking comment.
Trump stirred concerns earlier this year in Greenland, Denmark and the European Union, which counts Denmark among its 27 member countries, by reviving talk of a U.S. takeover of Greenland after returning to office for his second term.
The issue had drifted off headlines in recent months, but in August, Danish officials summoned the U.S. ambassador following a report that at least three people with connections to Trump had carried out covert influence operations in Greenland.
Earlier this year, U.S. Vice President JD Vance visited a remote U.S. military base on the island and accused Denmark of underinvesting there.
Trump has said that Greenland is crucial for U.S. security and hasn’t ruled out taking the island by military force, even though Denmark is a NATO ally of the U.S.