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Vivian Motzfeldt says she has \u2018good expectations\u2019 for talks with Marco Rubio amid US threats to take over Greenland.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Greenland\u2019s foreign minister has said the Greenlandic government should \u201ctake the lead\u201d in planned talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the United States continues to threaten to take over the autonomous Danish territory.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen it comes to Greenland, it should be Greenland that takes the lead and speaks with the United States,\u201d Vivian Motzfeldt said on Friday, according to Danish broadcaster DR.<\/p>\n list of 3 items<\/span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n She said the Greenlandic government should be able to engage in dialogue with other countries independently of Denmark.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat would be wrong with us holding meetings with the United States on our own? I assume that we [Denmark and Greenland] share certain common values and policies that both countries stand by,\u201d Motzfeldt said.<\/p>\n Asked if she would prefer to hold next week\u2019s meeting with Rubio without her Danish counterpart, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, Motzfeldt refused to comment and stressed that the talks will be held jointly.<\/p>\n \u201cGreenland has been working toward statehood, which would require us to conduct our own foreign policy. But we are not there yet. Until then, we have certain laws and frameworks that we must follow,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The planned discussions come as US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he wants to take over Greenland \u2013 a self-governing territory of Denmark \u2013 in remarks that have roiled European leaders.<\/p>\n Trump has hailed the island\u2019s \u201cstrategic\u201d importance in the Arctic region and accused the Danish authorities of failing to adequately secure the waters around Greenland \u2013 a claim rejected by local politicians.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t want Russia or China going to Greenland, which \u2013 if we don\u2019t take Greenland \u2013 you\u2019re going to have Russia or China as your next-door neighbour. That\u2019s not going to happen,\u201d he told reporters in the White House on Friday.<\/p>\n The Trump administration also has refused to rule out using military force to seize Greenland, telling reporters this week that \u201call options\u201d remain on the table.<\/p>\nRecommended Stories <\/h2>\n