NATO will share Arctic responsibility as Greenland security deal with U.S. moves forward, Denmark says
Denmark and Greenland say deal will benefit Arctic island and respect its sovereignty
Denmark, Greenland and the U.S. are to sign a deal on Greenland's security on Tuesday, an agreement Denmark says will put Arctic security under NATO's watch rather than leaving it solely to Washington and Copenhagen.
The agreement, to be signed at the UN General Assembly in New York at 10:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday, has not been made public.
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agreement → share → Tuesday
Denmark and Greenland say the deal will benefit the Arctic island and respect its sovereignty.
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deal → say → sovereignty
The deal is expected to allow the U.S., which already has one military base in Greenland, to expand its military presence to two additional sites.
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which → expect → sites
One of those sites is Narsarsuaq, whose population has dwindled to a few dozen people since the U.S. closed its Cold War-era Bluie West One military base there in the 1950s.
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U.S. → dwindle → 1950s
The other is Mestersvig, a military outpost currently used by the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, a special forces unit that enforces Danish sovereignty in the territory, according to two people familiar with the matter.
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that → use → matter
Trilateral signing ceremony planned
U.S. President Donald Trump will meet in New York on Tuesday with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen for a trilateral signing ceremony, a White House official said.
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official → plan → ceremony
The deal follows months of pressure from Trump, who has said the U.S. should control Greenland and at times refused to rule out using military or economic force to acquire the semi-autonomous Danish territory.
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U.S. → follow → territory
His threats peaked in January, triggering a diplomatic crisis within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the military defence alliance, and pushing Denmark and Greenland into negotiations aimed at defusing the pressure.
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threats → peak → pressure
The agreement "will be in a form where responsibility for security in the Arctic is not only Danish or American," Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told national broadcaster TV2 on Sunday.
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Rasmussen → tell → Sunday
He said that, to a large extent, "it would be NATO that looks after the Arctic."
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that → say → Arctic
It remained unclear whether the deal amends an existing 1951 defence agreement that is the legal basis for the U.S. presence in Greenland.
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that → remain → Greenland
It appears that we are now using this crisis to try to strengthen NATO's cohesion through Greenland," said Ulrik Pram Gad, a researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS).
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Gad → appear → Studies
Strategic interest in Greenland
Washington's strategic interest in Greenland dates back to the Second World War.
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interest → date → War
In 1941, the U.S. signed a deal with Danish envoy Henrik Kauffmann, who acted without authority from his country, then under German occupation.
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who → sign → occupation
The U.S. sought the deal to keep Greenland out of German hands and secure the North Atlantic supply route between North America and Europe.
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U.S. → seek → America
Under the agreement, the U.S. built airfields, naval facilities and weather stations across the island, reaching around 5,500 military personnel by 1943, according to DIIS.
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U.S. → build → DIIS
In 1946, then-U.S. president Harry Truman sought to buy the island as a strategic asset for $100 million US in gold, but Copenhagen declined to sell.
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Copenhagen → seek → gold
Instead, a new agreement was signed in 1951 that gave the U.S. military extensive rights in Greenland but was tied to the existence of NATO.
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that → sign → NATO
"I don't think Denmark and Greenland will sign if the same NATO clause isn't included," said Gad.
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Gad → think → ?
During the Cold War, the U.S. maintained 17 military installations and more than 10,000 personnel in Greenland.
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U.S. → maintain → Greenland
Today only Pituffik Space Base remains, with some 150 U.S. military personnel.
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Base → remain → personnel
A NATO spokesperson said on Saturday that the alliance welcomed the new agreement, which would "help advance security, stability and co-operation in this vital region."
Rasmussen, who travelled to New York overnight, declined to discuss the contents of the agreement.
"But we have said from the start that we are open to accommodating the United States' legitimate security interests," he told Danish news agency Ritzau on Monday.
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he → say → Monday
Trump says deal struck to boost U.S. military presence in Greenland
Greenland, Denmark say deal with U.S. will not cede sovereignty
Trump said in a social media post on Friday the agreement gave the U.S. "permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland," and that no U.S. adversary could have a base or military presence there without Washington's written approval.
Denmark has not responded to Trump's assertion, though Copenhagen earlier acknowledged it underinvested in Greenland's defence for decades and has pledged to expand its military presence on the island, including more NATO troops.
Greenland's government has sought to reassure the public about the deal.
Erik Jensen, an opposition lawmaker in Greenland, wrote on social media that he had read the draft agreement.
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he → say → agreement
"I feel reassured and am not worried," he said, adding that the island's foreign minister was handling the work well.
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minister → feel → work
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