Greenland parliament approves security deal with US, Denmark

Lawmakers vote 16-0 for trilateral agreement signed in September, while seven abstained.

Trump plans for ‘massive’ resource exploration in Greenland

Lawmakers in the semi-autonomous Danish territory of Greenland have approved an agreement with Denmark and the United States aimed at bolstering security in the Arctic and North Atlantic.

The deal was passed 16-0 on Tuesday, with seven lawmakers abstaining.

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The agreement was signed in September by US President Donald Trump, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

It followed months of negotiations behind the scenes amid growing tensions over Trump’s repeated threats to seize the vast, resource-rich Arctic island.

Greenlandic Foreign Minister Mute Egede said the ratification was another important step for the self-governing island.

“The road to this point has been ⁠a difficult one for us as ⁠a people. But we have stood firm on our fundamental principles, chosen dialogue and taken responsibility for our country’s interests,” he wrote in a ⁠post on Facebook.

“This is about all of us. The Greenland we love. ⁠About our security. And about our ⁠right to shape our own future,” he said.

An aerial view of houses and apartment buildings in Nuuk, Greenland [File: Sean Gallup/Getty Images]

Located between Europe and North America, Greenland is the world’s largest island, with a population of 57,000 people.

Trump’s refusal last year to rule out a military invasion had caused fear among Greenlanders, the majority of whom rejected US control, according to opinion polls.

The trilateral deal paves the way for more US bases on Greenland. It also allows the US to “modernise and expand” its activities at the Pituffik Space Base, a remote US military installation in northwest Greenland.

Under its terms, Greenland will remain under Danish control – but the agreement would still apply if the island eventually chooses independence.

The deal stipulates it will only “enter into force” once the “necessary parliamentary processes of the Kingdom of Denmark, in conjunction with Greenland, have been completed”.

Danish lawmakers are set to debate it later this month, while no approval is required from the US Senate.

议员们以 16 比 0 的投票结果通过了 9 月份签署的三方协议，另有 7 人弃权。

特朗普计划在格陵兰岛进行“大规模”资源勘探

丹麦半自治领地格陵兰的立法者批准了一项与丹麦和美国达成的协议，旨在加强北极和北大西洋的安全。

该协议于周二以 16 比 0 的投票结果获得通过，7 名议员弃权。

美国与丹麦和格陵兰签署“意义重大”的安全协议（共3项，此为第1项）

列表 2（共 3 项）：格陵兰岛对美国为何如此重要？

格陵兰代表团签署美丹协议后受到英雄般的欢迎（共3项，此为第3项）

该协议于 9 月由美国总统唐纳德·特朗普、丹麦首相梅特·弗雷德里克森和格陵兰首相延斯-弗雷德里克·尼尔森在纽约联合国大会期间签署。

此前，由于特朗普一再威胁要夺取这个资源丰富的北极岛屿，双方进行了数月的幕后谈判，紧张局势不断升级。

格陵兰外交部长穆特·埃格德表示，此次批准是这个自治岛国迈出的又一个重要步伐。

“对我们民族而言，走到今天这一步是一条艰难的道路。但我们始终坚持基本原则，选择对话，并承担起维护国家利益的责任。”他在脸书上发帖写道。

“这关乎我们所有人。关乎我们深爱的格陵兰岛。关乎我们的安全。关乎我们塑造自己未来的权利，”他说。

从空中俯瞰格陵兰岛努克的房屋和公寓楼 [图片：Sean Gallup/Getty Images]

格陵兰岛位于欧洲和北美洲之间，是世界上最大的岛屿，人口为 57,000 人。

去年，特朗普拒绝排除军事入侵的可能性，这引起了格陵兰人的恐惧，民意调查显示，大多数格陵兰人拒绝接受美国的控制。

这项三方协议为美国在格陵兰岛建立更多军事基地铺平了道路。它还允许美国对其位于格陵兰岛西北部的偏远美军基地——皮图菲克太空基地——的活动进行“现代化改造和扩建”。

根据协议条款，格陵兰岛将继续处于丹麦的控制之下——但如果该岛最终选择独立，该协议仍然适用。

该协议规定，只有在“丹麦王国与格陵兰共同完成必要的议会程序”后，该协议才会“生效”。

丹麦议员将于本月晚些时候对此进行辩论，而该法案无需美国参议院批准。