US President Donald Trump has announced a security agreement with Denmark and Greenland that he says will give Washington permanent control over Greenland’s security and prevent US rivals from establishing a military presence there.
Trump said on Friday that the agreement would allow the United States to maintain a long-term role in securing the strategically important Arctic territory. He also said Washington would begin plans to expand its military presence in Greenland. (Al Jazeera)
Under the proposed deal, Russia, China and other US adversaries would be barred from establishing military bases, deploying troops or making sensitive investments in Greenland without US approval, according to Trump and US officials. However, the full text of the agreement has not yet been released. (Reuters)
Denmark and Greenland welcomed the agreement but stressed that it does not transfer sovereignty over Greenland to the United States. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the agreement recognises the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark, as well as the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination. (Reuters)
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the agreement would strengthen the territory’s security, while Danish officials said it could improve security cooperation in the Arctic and North Atlantic and benefit NATO. (Reuters)
The agreement is expected to be formally signed on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week. It will then require the necessary parliamentary procedures in Denmark and Greenland before taking effect. (Al Jazeera)
US military presence
The United States already maintains a military facility at Pituffik in northern Greenland and has broad defence rights under a 1951 agreement with Denmark. The new deal could provide a framework for expanding the US military presence on the island, although its precise provisions remain unclear. (Al Jazeera)
Trump has repeatedly argued that Greenland is strategically important because of its location in the Arctic and has warned about potential Russian and Chinese activity in the region.
His earlier demands for US control of Greenland had created tensions with Denmark and raised concerns within NATO. The new agreement appears to seek greater US security involvement while maintaining Greenland’s status as a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. (theguardian.com)