President Donald Trump confirmed yesterday that the US needs Greenland for its national security and said that a newly appointed special envoy would “lead the charge”, which prompted sharp criticism from Denmark and Greenland, Reuters reported, BTA writes.
WHY DOES TRUMP WANT GREENLAND?
Greenland's strategic location and resources could benefit the US. The island is the shortest route from Europe to North America and is vital to the US's ballistic missile early warning system.
Washington has expressed interest in expanding its existing military presence on the Arctic island, including by deploying radars there to monitor the waters between the island, Iceland and Britain, which are used by Russian warships and nuclear submarines.
Trump told reporters yesterday: “We need Greenland for our national security, not for its minerals. If you look at Greenland, you will see Russian and Chinese ships all along the coast.“
Shipping data shows that most of China's shipping in Arctic waters is in the Pacific Arctic and along the Northern Sea Route near Russia. Most Russian shipping in the Arctic is around the Russian coast, although analysts say Moscow's submarines frequently ply the waters between Greenland, Iceland and the UK.
In a broader context, the region beyond the Arctic Circle is becoming increasingly militarized, with NATO countries, China and Russia stepping up their activities there.
Greenland, whose capital Nuuk is closer to New York than to the Danish capital Copenhagen, is rich in minerals, oil and natural gas. But development of the deposits has been slow, and US investment in extracting them from the earth's interior – limited.
WHAT IS THE CURRENT U.S. PRESENCE?
The U.S. military maintains a permanent presence at Pitufik Air Base in northwest Greenland.
A 1951 agreement between Washington and Copenhagen gives the U.S. the right to move freely and build military bases in Greenland, as long as it notifies authorities in Copenhagen and Nuuk in advance.
Historically, Denmark has hosted U.S. forces because it lacks the capacity to defend Greenland on its own and because of the security guarantees Washington provides it through NATO, said Christian Sobie Christensen, a senior research fellow at the Center for Military Studies at the University of Copenhagen.
WHAT IS THE STATUS OF GREENLAND CURRENTLY?
The Arctic territory, a former colony of Denmark, officially becomes a territory (region) of Scandinavian kingdom in 1953 and is subject to the Danish constitution. In 2009, the island was granted extensive autonomy, including the right to declare independence from Denmark through a referendum.
According to a 2009 law, the Greenlandic parliament, Inatsisartut, has the right to trigger an article requiring Denmark and Greenland to begin negotiations to achieve full independence. Greenlanders must then approve it in a referendum, with the Danish parliament also having to give its consent for the island to officially separate.
WHAT DOES GREENLAND WANT?
Relations between Greenland and Denmark have been strained following revelations of abuses against the local population carried out in the past by Danish colonial authorities.
However, Trump's interest in the island has led Denmark to take a course towards improving relations with Greenland.
Surveys show that a majority of Greenland's 57,000 residents support independence, but many warn against rushing to secede from Denmark, as they fear that their island could find itself at a disadvantage and become more vulnerable to US appetites.
Greenland's economy is dependent on fishing, which provides over 95% of exports, and from annual subsidies from Denmark, which form almost half of the island's budget.
WHAT HAPPENS IF GREENLAND SEPARATED FROM DENMARK
If Greenland became independent, it could choose to associate with the United States without becoming a territory of the United States.
The island could enter into a so-called free association with the United States, which would replace Danish subsidies with US support and protection in exchange for military rights in the field of defense and security, similar to the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau.
According to Ulrik Pram Gad, an expert on Greenland, Trump's idea to buy the island is based on a misinterpretation of international law and the principle of self-determination, which gives people the right to choose their political status.
WHAT IS TRUMP DOING TO EXERCISE PRESSURE ON GREENLAND
Trump has appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as his special envoy to Greenland, sparking fresh criticism from Nuuk and Copenhagen of Washington's interest in the island. Landry has publicly supported the idea of Greenland becoming part of the United States.
When Trump proposed buying the island during his first term as president, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the idea "absurd."
WHAT DO DENMARK AND GREENLAND SAY?
Frederiksen and Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in a joint statement yesterday that the island belongs to the Greenlanders. "You can't annex another country. "Even with the argument of maintaining international security," they said.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen summoned the US ambassador over the appointment of the envoy. Rasmussen then said that representatives of Denmark and Greenland had outlined to the ambassador "a line that should not be crossed."