Washington (AFP)
US President Donald Trump confirmed on Sunday his interest in buying Greenland in Denmark, a possibility he called a "big real estate deal", but said it was not a priority for the United States. United.
"This is something we talked about," Trump told reporters. "The concept has come up and I said that strategically, it's certainly interesting and that we would be interested, but we will talk a little bit" with Denmark, continued the president, adding that it was not "the priority number a "for his government.
The business daily The Wall Street Journal wrote on Thursday that the US president, a real estate mogul before embarking on politics, had "repeatedly shown interest in buying" the country's 56,000-strong population. had spoken to his advisers in the White House.
The president has learned about the natural resources and the geopolitical importance of the region, according to the newspaper.
Asked by reporters about the possibility of exchanging Greenland for US territory, Trump said that "a lot can be done".
"Essentially, it's a big real estate transaction," he said. The gigantic Arctic island "is doing a lot of harm in Denmark because they are losing about $ 700 million each year to maintain it ... And strategically, for the United States, it would be nice," said the President.
Greenland was a Danish colony until 1953, when it entered the Danish "Kingdom Community". In 1979, the island obtained the status of "autonomous territory", but its economy still depends heavily on the subsidies paid by Copenhagen.
"Greenland is rich in precious resources (...) We are ready to do business, not to sell" the territory, responded Friday the Greenlandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Twitter.
© 2019 AFP