Denmark: NATO is a partner in Arctic security under the Greenland agreement
Agencies2 min read
Share
Denmark, Greenland, and the United States are expected to sign an agreement on Greenland's security tomorrow, Tuesday, an agreement that Copenhagen says will place Arctic security under NATO's supervision instead of being limited to the United States and Denmark.
The agreement is scheduled to be signed on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York tomorrow. The text of the agreement has not yet been published. However, US President Donald Trump said the agreement grants the United States "permanent control."
Denmark and Greenland did not comment on Trump's statement, but they said the agreement would benefit the Arctic island and respect its sovereignty.
A White House official said Trump will meet tomorrow, Tuesday, in New York with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen to attend a trilateral signing ceremony.
The official added, "The three leaders will formalize their new agreement, which will ensure and defend the security of Greenland and the United States."
The agreement comes after months of pressure from Trump. The US president said the United States should control Greenland, and at times refused to rule out the use of military or economic force to acquire the semi-autonomous Danish territory.
His threats, which peaked in January, caused a diplomatic crisis within NATO and prompted Denmark and Greenland to negotiate with Washington to ease the pressure.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said on Sunday that the agreement "will be in a form that makes the responsibility for Arctic security not just Danish or American... NATO will largely take care of Arctic affairs."
