The prime minister of Greenland said he is open to dialogue with incoming U.S. President Trump but maintained Greenland is focused on its independence amid Trump’s continued threats to take control over the territory. This is Prime Minister Múte Egede.

Prime Minister Múte Egede: “The desire for independence, the desire to be in one’s own house, is probably understood by all people in the world. And that struggle from Greenland’s side isn’t new. It didn’t just happen yesterday. It didn’t happen when I gave the New Year’s speech. But things have developed in that direction for many, many years, at least for many decades. … We don’t want to be Danes. We don’t want to be Americans. We want to be Greenlandic. And, of course, it is the Greenlandic people who decide their future.”

Trump’s threats toward Greenland have shone a spotlight on the territory’s push to gain full independence from Denmark, which has long been accused of committing colonial abuses against its mostly Inuit population.