Donald Trump announced on Friday September 18 that he had obtained from Denmark and Greenland “permanent control” of the security of the Arctic territory, of which he had mentioned last year a pure and simple attachment to the United States.
The agreement that the American president reported on his Truth Social platform must in particular prevent any “adversary” of Washington from establishing a military presence in Greenland or making sensitive investments there without agreement from the United States.
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“This agreement ensures that China and Russia cannot have a base in Greenland, that they cannot send troops there and that the necessary mechanisms are in place to prevent investment in sensitive sectors,” a State Department official said on condition of anonymity.
The agreement will be signed on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly
Donald Trump also announced that the United States would “immediately launch the process of developing a significant military presence.”
The agreement, with an “infinite lifespan”, will have “no cost” for Washington, assured the Republican leader, referring to a “dream come true”. It must be signed next week on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, according to Greenland and Denmark.
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Copenhagen welcomed an agreement “good for NATO and Europe”, while the Prime Minister of Greenland judged that the security of the territory was “strengthened”.
The head of American diplomacy Marco Rubio spoke of a compromise which “addresses all of our national security concerns regarding Greenland”.
The United States wants three new military bases in Greenland
A 1951 defense agreement, updated in 2004, already gave the American armed forces virtual carte blanche to deploy installations in Greenland, on the condition that they notify the authorities.
The question of this gigantic autonomous territory of Denmark, in the heart of an Arctic zone which arouses covetousness, has been a diplomatically explosive subject since Donald Trump expressed his interest.
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The United States wants to open three new military bases in the south of Greenland, according to several media, in addition to the Pituffik base that they already hold in the north of this territory.
Donald Trump’s desires towards Greenland have shaken the Europeans, suddenly threatened by a power on which they have always counted until now for their military protection. At the height of the crisis, the American president even mentioned the possibility of “using force” to seize the territory of 57,000 inhabitants, sowing concern within the EU and NATO. The tension only subsided thanks to the establishment of a Denmark/Greenland/United States working group, which developed the agreement announced on Friday.
With AFP
