Denmark, Greenland and the United States are expected to sign a Greenland security agreement on Monday that Copenhagen says will place Arctic security largely under NATO responsibility, rather than being solely the responsibility of Washington and the Danish capital, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
The agreement is expected to be signed during the UN General Assembly in New York. Its text has not yet been published, including whether it amends the 1951 defense treaty.
President Donald Trump says the arrangement gives the United States "permanent control". Denmark and Greenland have not commented on the claim, but have said the agreement will benefit the Arctic island and respect its sovereignty.
The deal came after months of pressure from Trump, who has said the United States should control Greenland and at times refused to rule out using military or economic force to acquire the semi-autonomous Danish territory. His threats, which peaked in January, have sparked a diplomatic crisis within NATO and prompted Denmark and Greenland to begin talks with Washington to ease tensions.
“The agreement will be designed in such a way that the responsibility for security in the Arctic is not solely Danish or American“, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told TV2 on Wednesday. He added that to a large extent “NATO will take care of security in the Arctic“.