Trump confirms interest in buying Greenland

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Sunday confirmed his interest in buying Greenland, but said it was not a priority for his administration."It´s something we talked about," Trump told reporters."The concept came up and I said certainly, strategically it´s interesting and we´d be interested, but we´ll talk to (Denmark) a little bit," he said, stressing that it was "not number one on the burner" for the government.The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Trump had expressed interest in the self-governing part of Denmark -- which is mostly covered in ice -- asking advisors if it would be possible for the US to acquire the territory.The president, a former real estate magnate, has been curious about the area´s natural resources and geopolitical relevance, the paper said.When asked if he would consider trading a US territory for Greenland, Trump replied that "a lot of things could be done.""Essentially, it´s a large real estate deal," he said."It´s hurting Denmark very badly because they´re losing almost $700 million a year carrying it... and strategically, for the United States, it would be nice," he added.Denmark colonized the 772,000 square-mile (two-million square kilometer) island in the 18th century. It is home to only about 57,000 people, most of whom belong to the indigenous Inuit community.Greenland´s ministry of foreign affairs insisted Friday the island was ready to talk business, but was not for sale. "#Greenland is rich in valuable resources such as minerals, the purest water and ice, fish stocks, seafood, renewable energy and is a new frontier for adventure tourism," it tweeted. "We´re open for business, not for sale," it added.

from The News International - Environment https://ift.tt/2ZehEqy