"We have repeated that the Greenlandic people are not for sale, and that our right to self-determination is not up for discussion," Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has said.
OSLO, May 18 (Xinhua) -- Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said Monday that he has reiterated to visiting U.S. officials that the island is "not for sale" and that the Greenlandic people's right to self-determination is not up for discussion.
Nielsen made the remarks at a brief press conference in Nuuk after meeting U.S. special envoy for Greenland Jeff Landry and U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Kenneth A. Howery, according to a report of Greenland's local newspaper Sermitsiaq.
"We have repeated that the Greenlandic people are not for sale, and that our right to self-determination is not up for discussion," Nielsen was quoted as saying.
Nielsen said the meeting was held in a respectful and positive tone and that Greenland remains committed to dialogue and finding the best solutions.
Meanwhile, Mute B. Egede, Greenland's minister for foreign affairs, business and mineral resources, vowed at the press conference not to sell Greenland. "We are not going to sell Greenland. We will own Greenland forever," he said.
Egede said the discussion with the U.S. representatives is "good and orderly," but added that both sides should return to proper cooperation based on mutual respect.
According to Sermitsiaq, Landry arrived in Nuuk on Sunday with a small delegation, while Howery flew in from Copenhagen on Monday morning. Both are expected to attend the Future Greenland business conference on Tuesday and Wednesday, and Howery is also scheduled to inaugurate the new U.S. consulate in Nuuk on Thursday, the report said.
