The discussions between the governments of Greenland, Denmark, and the United States regarding the autonomous Danish territory coveted by the Trump administration are progressing, but no agreement has been reached yet. “It’s difficult for me to go into the details of the discussions within the [Danish-Greenlandic-American, editor’s note] working group, but we have made some progress in the right direction,” said Jens-Frederik Nielsen, the Greenlandic prime minister, during the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on Tuesday. “We are negotiating, but we do not have an agreement,” he added.
The United States wants to establish three new military bases in the southern part of the territory, in addition to the Pituffik base (formerly Thule) that they already hold in northern Greenland. A defense agreement from 1951, updated in 2004, gives almost free rein to US armed forces to deploy installations in Greenland, provided they notify the authorities in advance.
Five meetings have taken place since January. After a year marked by the desires of the American president to “take control” of the Arctic region, Copenhagen and Nuuk had their first meeting with Washington, followed by the establishment of a working group to discuss American concerns, including their military presence. “We have been ready from the beginning and we have indicated that we are ready to do more, to take on more responsibilities in terms of national and international security,” reiterated Jens-Frederik Nielsen. “Our only demand is respect,” he said.
The discussions are being led on the American side by a senior official from the State Department, Michael Needham, while Jesper Møller Sørensen, Denmark’s ambassador to the United States, and Jacob Isbosethsen, a Greenlandic diplomat, are leading the negotiations in Washington for Denmark and Greenland. According to reports, five meetings have been held since January, as stated by the BBC.
