Daijiworld Media Network - Copenhagen
Copenhagen, Sep 19: US President Donald Trump on Friday announced an agreement with Denmark to strengthen the US military presence in Greenland, after months of threatening to take control of the Arctic island by force. The emerging deal keeps Greenland under Danish sovereignty.
Trump, in a social media post announcing the agreement, said it would give the United States “permanent control over security” and other needs in Greenland and said his administration would immediately begin the process of expanding the US military presence on the mineral-rich territory.
The office of Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the agreement is expected to be signed by the governments of the United States, Denmark and Greenland next week during the United Nations General Assembly. However, parliamentary action is still required in Denmark and Greenland before the agreement can take effect.
Frederiksen said the agreement recognises the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Greenland and Denmark and upholds the right of both peoples to self-determination.
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the emerging agreement benefits all three governments and recognises Greenland’s interests and its role in international cooperation.
Trump had, since returning to the White House last year, called on Denmark to sell Greenland to the United States and repeatedly said the island was important to US national security. He had also declined to rule out using military force to take control of the territory, despite Denmark being a NATO ally of the United States.
Denmark and Greenland have repeatedly said Greenland is not for sale and had condemned reports of US intelligence-gathering activities on the island. The US push to acquire Greenland was also opposed by Russia and several European countries.
Trump said the agreement would pave the way for greater cooperation with Denmark and Greenland and described the territory as strategically important.
According to a US State Department official, the agreement would prohibit non-NATO bases in Greenland, restrict investments by adversarial countries and ensure that China and Russia cannot establish military bases there.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the agreement as a “historic deal” and said it would ensure that Greenland remains part of the strategic defence area of North America.
The United States has maintained a military presence in Greenland for decades. During the Cold War, it operated several bases and installations on the island, while the US continues to operate the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland.
The base, established following the 1951 Defence of Greenland Treaty between the United States and Denmark, supports missile warning, missile defence and space surveillance operations for the United States and NATO.
Greenland is located off the northeastern coast of Canada, with more than two-thirds of its territory within the Arctic Circle. Its location has made it strategically important to the defence of North America since World War II.
During the war, the United States occupied Greenland to prevent Nazi Germany from gaining control of the territory and to protect vital North Atlantic shipping routes.
Despite Trump's repeated demands regarding Greenland, Danish officials have said they were prepared to cooperate with the United States on expanding its military presence and strengthening US commercial interests on the island.
The dispute over Greenland had nevertheless caused concern among NATO allies and European countries. Imran Bayoumi, associate director at the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, said Trump's demands and threats had damaged perceptions of the United States in Europe and among Greenlanders and Danes.