Greenland’s parliament has approved a new security and defense agreement with the United States. In a vote on Tuesday, 16 lawmakers supported the deal and seven abstained; none voted against it, according to the German report citing news agency Ritzau.
The agreement was signed in September in New York by US President Donald Trump, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen. It still requires approval from Denmark’s parliament, which is scheduled to vote on November 19. The agreement can take effect after the United States is informed through diplomatic channels of the results of both votes.
The deal updates and supplements a defense agreement between Denmark and the US that dates back to 1951. It allows the US to modernize the Pituffik Space Base in northwest Greenland and expand its activities there. The United States would also initially be permitted to establish two additional defense sites.
Denmark and Greenland would grant US forces broad freedom of movement on and around the island. The agreement also bars non-NATO countries from building military facilities in Greenland without the approval of all three parties, and limits investment influence from countries and investors that are not NATO members or partners or EU members.
The agreement does not transfer Greenland’s sovereignty. Its approval by Greenland’s parliament is the first of the two required legislative steps before it can enter into force.
Sources: Der Spiegel.