U.S. President Donald Trump was reported to have "asked advisers whether the U.S. can acquire Greenland." (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)
"We're open for business, not for sale." The U.S. president is rejected by Greenland over reports that he wants to purchase the mineral-rich Arctic island.
BRUSSELS, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Greenland said on Friday that the island is "not up for sale" after U.S. President Donald Trump's reported interest to buy the island was widely ridiculed.
"#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. We're open for business, not for sale," the ministry said on its official twitter account, following a Wall Street Journal report on Thursday that "in meetings, at dinners and in passing conversations, Mr. Trump has asked advisers whether the U.S. can acquire Greenland."
File photo shows fishermen on a boat in the harbor of Ilulissat on the west coast of Greenland, 250 km north of the Arctic Circle.(SIPA/Handout via Xinhua)
Trump's reported interest was met with disbelief and shock in Europe. Lars Lokke Rasmussen, who was the Prime Minister of Denmark until late June, said on Twitter that "It must be an April Fool's Day joke ... but totally out of sesson (season)!" Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark.
File photo shows iceberg in disko bay, Greenland.(SIPA/Handout via Xinhua)
Aaja Chemnitz Larsen, a member of Danish parliament from Greenland, tweeted: "No thanks to Trump buying Greenland!" adding that a "better and more equal partnership with Denmark" should be the way forward.
File photo shows seagulls playing in the cold water between the iceberg in the disko bay, opposite the town of Ilulissat, Greenland.(SIPA/Handout via Xinhua)
Rasmus Jarlov, a conservative member of the Danish Parliament, tweeted "Out of all things that are not going to happen this is the most unlikely. Forget it."
Rufus Gifford, former U.S. ambassador to Denmark, said: "As someone who loves Greenland, has been there 9 times to every corner and loves the people, this is a complete and total catastrophe."
Aerial photo of supra-glacial lake and meltwater rivers located on the Greenland ice cap, about 80 kilometers east of Kangerlussuaq.(SIPA/Handout via Xinhua)
Greenland is the largest island in the world (excluding Australia, which is often defined as a continent), with a very small population of 56,000.
File photo shows northern lights in Tiniteqilaq in the district of Ammassalik in East Greenland.(GAMMA/Handout via Xinhua)
