Greenland parliament approves security deal with US, Denmark

Lawmakers ballot 16-0 for trilateral statement signed successful September, portion 7 abstained.

Lawmakers successful the semi-autonomous Danish territory of Greenland person approved an agreement with Denmark and the United States aimed astatine bolstering information successful the Arctic and North Atlantic.

The woody was passed 16-0 connected Tuesday, with 7 lawmakers abstaining.

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The statement was signed successful September by US President Donald Trump, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen connected the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly successful New York.

It followed months of negotiations down the scenes amid increasing tensions implicit Trump’s repeated threats to prehend the vast, resource-rich Arctic island.

Greenlandic Foreign Minister Mute Egede said the ratification was different important measurement for the self-governing island.

“The roadworthy to this constituent has been ⁠a hard 1 for america arsenic ⁠a people. But we person stood steadfast connected our cardinal principles, chosen dialog and taken work for our country’s interests,” helium wrote successful a ⁠post connected Facebook.

“This is astir each of us. The Greenland we love. ⁠About our security. And astir our ⁠right to signifier our ain future,” helium said.

An aerial presumption of houses and flat buildings successful Nuuk, Greenland [File: Sean Gallup/Getty Images]

Located betwixt Europe and North America, Greenland is the world’s largest island, with a colonisation of 57,000 people.

Trump’s refusal past twelvemonth to regularisation retired a subject penetration had caused fearfulness among Greenlanders, the bulk of whom rejected US control, according to sentiment polls.

The trilateral woody paves the way for much US bases connected Greenland. It besides allows the US to “modernise and expand” its activities astatine the Pituffik Space Base, a distant US subject installation successful northwest Greenland.

Under its terms, Greenland volition stay nether Danish power – but the statement would inactive use if the land yet chooses independence.

The woody stipulates it volition lone “enter into force” erstwhile the “necessary parliamentary processes of the Kingdom of Denmark, successful conjunction with Greenland, person been completed”.

Danish lawmakers are acceptable to statement it aboriginal this month, portion nary support is required from the US Senate.