Greenland's parliament prepares to ratify security agreement with the United States
The agreement signed in September expands the US military presence on the island and paves the way for two new military bases; a vote in the Danish parliament is scheduled for 19 November.
Greenland's parliament is preparing on Tuesday, 3 November, to ratify a security agreement signed with the United States.
The agreement, signed in September by the United States, Denmark and Greenland, won the support of a majority of lawmakers during preliminary debates in parliament last month. The parties of Greenland's governing coalition hold a majority of seats in parliament.
The agreement expands the US military presence in Greenland and paves the way for two new military bases and the deployment of the "Golden Dome" missile defence system. At the same time, the document reaffirms Denmark's sovereignty and the right of Greenland's people to self-determination.
Greenland's Foreign Minister Mute Egede called the ratification an important step, saying that Greenland, while protecting its interests, has not retreated from its fundamental principles and has chosen the path of dialogue. During the October debate Egede had also called the agreement a major step forward that cannot be measured in money.
In the October debate, Pele Broberg, chairman of the opposition Naleraq party, said "the US is granted extensive rights in our country", adding that the people of Greenland are not guaranteed any fixed payment for those rights and that many details of how the deal will work in practice remain unclear. Former Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt of the governing coalition's Demokraatit party stressed that Greenland had gained substantial protection without paying for it and had been recognised as an autonomous nation. Siumut party chairman Erik Jensen also confirmed his party's support for the agreement.
In the Danish parliament, the first reading of the relevant bill is scheduled for 11 November, and the second reading and vote for 19 November. The agreement will enter into force once ratified by Denmark and Greenland; approval by the US Senate is not required.
The agreement aims to ease tensions that arose after US President Donald Trump's repeated threats to take control of Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark with a strategic location and rich mineral resources. The US Pituffik Space Base in north-western Greenland has been operating for many years.
