Greenland's prime minister appears to have closed the door on President-elect Donald Trump's desire to acquire the autonomous Danish territory, saying Greenlanders do not want to become Americans or Danes.

"We want to be Greenlanders," Mutt Egede said on "Special Report" on Thursday. "We will always be part of NATO. We will always be a strong partner of the United States. We are close neighbors. We have been combined for the past 80 years. I think in the future, we have a lot to offer but we also want to make it clear: We don’t want to be Americans, we don’t want to be part of the United States, but we want strong cooperation with the United States.”

At a Mar-a-Lago news conference earlier this month, Trump said he would not rule out using military or economic pressure to gain access to Greenland or the Panama Canal.

"We need them for economic security," he told reporters. The incoming 47th president considers the Arctic islands vital to U.S. national security.

Fox News reporter Alex Hogan Heading to Nuuk, Greenland, I spoke with some residents in mid-January who seemed less than enthusiastic about Trump’s plan.

One unnamed man said: "I would rather stay in Denmark than in the United States."

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"America used to be an admirable place. Basically, all the goodwill they had before is almost gone now," another man said.

Jørgen Boassen, a Greenlander who has been a Trump supporter for years, explained that his homeland is both the "front door" to the United States and to foreign adversaries such as Russia and China.

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Fox News anchor Bret Baier asked Egede if Greenlanders would vote for independence from Denmark if given the chance.

"Yes, but it's up to the people of Greenland when we want independence. I think it's important to see that if Greenland takes these steps, we will always be part of the Western alliance and a strong partner for the United States because Your safety is our safety,” he responded.

The prime minister acknowledged Greenland's wealth of rare earth minerals such as zinc, gold and uranium and called for a stronger partnership with the United States and the European Union so the territory can diversify its economy and secure investment.

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"We have a lot to offer. We have a lot to work with. So we're ready - the United States can come here and make some investments in our minerals," Egged added. He said that currently no Chinese companies exist and operate in Greenland.