Greenland's prime minister has said that the people of the mineral-rich Arctic territory don't want to be Americans. However, he understands the US President-elect Donald Trump's interest in the island given its strategic location, and he's open to greater cooperation with Washington. The comments from the Greenlandic leader, Múte B. Egede, came after Trump said that he wouldn't rule out using force or economic pressure in order to make Greenland — a semiautonomous territory of Denmark — a part of the US. Trump said that it was a matter of national security for the US. Egede acknowledged that Greenland is part of the North American continent, and "a place that the Americans see as part of their world." He said he hasn't spoken to Trump, but that he's open to discussions about what "unites us." "Cooperation is about dialogue. Cooperation means that you will work towards solutions," he said. Egede has been calling for independence for Greenland, presenting Denmark as a colonial power that hasn't always treated the Indigenous Inuit population well. "Greenland is for the Greenlandic people. We do not want to be Danish, we do not want to be American. We want to be Greenlandic," he said. Trump's desire for Greenland has caused anxiety across Europe. The US is a strong ally of the European Union, and many Europeans were shocked by the suggestion that an incoming US leader could even consider using force against an ally. Greenland has a population of 57,000. But it is a vast territory possessing natural resources that include oil, gas, and rare earth elements, which are expected to become more accessible as ice melts because of climate change. It also has a key strategic location in the Arctic, where Russia, China and others are seeking to expand their interests. Greenland, the world's largest island, lies closer to the North American mainland than to Denmark.