Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrault told France Inter radio, according to AFP news agency.
“We are a strong continent. We need to strengthen ourselves more,” he added.
Mr. Barot described Greenland as a “territory of Europe.” Greenland is affiliated with the European Union through Denmark and is an autonomous territory of Denmark.
In a rambling news conference on Tuesday, President Trump refused to rule out military intervention in the Panama Canal and Greenland, saying he wants both to be under U.S. control.
“We need Greenland for national security,” he declared.
His comments came at the same time that his son Donald Trump Jr. paid a personal visit to the mineral and oil-rich Danish territory on Tuesday.
“If you ask me, ‘Is the United States going to invade Greenland?’ the answer is no,” Barot said.
But, he added, “we have entered an era where the survival of the fittest returns.”
“Should we be intimidated? Should we be filled with worry? Obviously not.
“In a world where the fittest prevails, we need to wake up and strengthen ourselves militarily and competitively.”
Barot said he believes the United States is “not inherently imperialist” and that he “doesn’t believe” the United States is changing.
At a press conference, President Trump called the U.S. border with Canada an “artificial line” and promised to rename the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.”
SD/
