USAupdated 57m ago2 min read
Archive photo · 7 July 2022Greenland Parliament Ratifies US-Denmark Security Deal, Clearing Two New U.S. Bases
“It also blocks countries outside the European Union and NATO from strategic sectors”
“The agreement allows for two new US military bases and Trump's ‘Golden Dome’ missile defence system.”
Photo: Kenny McFly, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cropped for layout
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Greenland's parliament ratified a trilateral security accord with the United States and Denmark. The 16-0 vote with seven abstentions formalized expanded U.S. military presence.
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Greenland ratifies Trump deal
Greenland’s parliament ratified a trilateral security agreement with the United States and Denmark on Tuesday, clearing the way for two new U.S. military bases on the Arctic island and for Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile defence system.
“The deal will ‘enter into force’ once the ‘necessary parliamentary processes of the Kingdom of Denmark, in conjunction with Greenland, have been completed.’”
The agreement was signed in September by U.S. President Donald Trump, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Greenlandic lawmakers voted 16-0 for the agreement, with seven abstentions, and the deal was described as strengthening security in the Arctic and North Atlantic while keeping Greenland under Danish control.
Mute Egede framed the ratification as a step forward for the self-governing island, writing, “The road to this point has been a difficult one for us as a people.”
The agreement’s entry into force was tied to Denmark and Greenland completing “necessary parliamentary processes of the Kingdom of Denmark, in conjunction with Greenland.”
Opposition questions value
Opposition party members questioned the deal’s economic value even as the agreement advanced, with Reuters describing that some lawmakers raised concerns about what the arrangement would be worth.
Pele Broberg, chair of the pro-independence Naleraq party, said, “We are looking for a better agreement that we can benefit from when we become an independent state. But no economic benefit has been gained from the agreement.”
DW reported that Greenland’s Foreign Minister Mute Egede told lawmakers, “We must accept that peace and stability are no longer something we can take for granted,” shortly before the vote in Nuuk.
The agreement was presented as alleviating pressure after Trump’s repeated threats to take control of the self-governing Danish territory, and it was also described as easing tensions over calls for Greenland to become part of the United States.
The trilateral deal was also framed as allowing the United States to “modernise and expand” its activities at the Pituffik Space Base in northwest Greenland.
Bases, contracts, and next steps
The agreement’s immediate political impact was that Greenlandic approval paved the way for further Danish consideration, with Danish lawmakers set to debate the deal later this month.
ABC News reported that the White House had no immediate comment on the vote, while the State Department said it “marks another major victory for American national security.”
In Ilulissat, Nukaaka Lund-Mathaeussen hoped the approval meant the Trump administration “got what they wanted,” and she added, “Hopefully after this we won’t be getting underhanded threats from the American government.”
Lars Erik Gabrielsen, mayor of Avannaata Municipality, said he was not convinced Greenlanders would see advantages, arguing, “It’s a good deal for Denmark, NATO. Not a good deal for us,” and adding, “Zero.”
The agreement also specified that, as Washington expands its military presence, it would award contracts for goods and services related to setting up, maintaining or dismantling such bases “to Greenlandic sources to the maximum extent possible.”