The United States has reached an agreement with Denmark and Greenland to increase its military presence in Greenland. Denmark and Greenland have said, however, that the agreement will not diminish Greenland’s sovereignty. The agreement also recognises the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination.
Announcing the agreement on Friday, the United States president, Donald Trump, said it would give the United States “permanent control” over Greenland’s security and other needs. The explanations given by Denmark and Greenland, however, said Greenland’s sovereignty and territorial integrity would remain intact.
Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said the agreement recognises the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Danish realm and the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination. Denmark’s foreign minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, also said the agreement would strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic while respecting the limits Denmark has set.
The agreement allows for a substantial United States military presence to be built up in Greenland. It also includes the denial of any opportunity for United States rivals to establish their own military bases there. Details of exactly how far the United States military presence will grow, how many troops will be deployed or where any new military installation will be built have not yet been disclosed.
There is also no clarity on several other important aspects of the agreement. In particular, whether the United States will gain any formal authority over Greenland’s foreign policy or natural resources has not been made public. The real scope of the agreement will become clearer once the full document is published.
Greenland is a highly strategic territory in the Arctic. Its geographical position is important to the United States security architecture for North America, Europe and the Arctic. Greenland also has vast natural resources, particularly the potential for critical minerals. The melting of ice is increasing the prospect of new shipping routes in the Arctic. For these reasons United States strategic interest in Greenland has grown in recent years.
A United States military presence in Greenland is not new. There were several United States military bases there during the Cold War. The country currently maintains a military presence at Pituffik Space Base in northern Greenland. That base is used for missile monitoring and other security activity.
Tension between the United States and Denmark over Greenland had been running for several months. Trump had earlier expressed interest in bringing Greenland under United States control and did not rule out the possibility of military measures. That put strain on relations between the United States and its NATO allies. Denmark and several other European countries later sent military personnel to Greenland.
The new agreement is seen as an effort to ease that long-running tension. NATO has also welcomed it. A spokesman for the alliance said the agreement would help increase security, stability and cooperation in the important Arctic region.
The agreement is due to be signed next week during the session of the United Nations General Assembly. It will also need parliamentary approval to take effect.
For the present, then, Greenland remains under Denmark and the right of its people to self-determination remains intact. At the same time, the way has been opened for a significant increase in the United States military and strategic presence in Greenland. Only when the full terms of the agreement are published will it be clear how far this new United States role in security actually extends.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report