COPENHAGEN, Nov 3 (Reuters) – Greenland’s parliament on Tuesday ratified the Arctic island’s security agreement struck earlier this year with US President Donald Trump, although some opposition party members questioned the deal’s economic value.
The United States, Denmark and Greenland in September signed the agreement, aimed at ending tensions after Trump’s repeated threats to take control of the strategically located and mineral-rich island, a self-governing Danish territory.
The deal expands the US military’s role in Greenland, paving the way for two new military bases and Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile defence system, while reaffirming Danish sovereignty and Greenlanders’ right to self-determination.
A majority of lawmakers had already signalled support for the deal in a first debate last month.
Tuesday’s vote was 16 in favour and none against, with 7 abstentions.
The White House in January said Trump was discussing options for acquiring Greenland, including potential use of the US military, alarming governments in Europe and triggering intense diplomatic efforts to calm the situation.
Greenlandic Foreign Minister Mute Egede said on Tuesday that ratification of the deal was an important step for the island.
“We must accept that peace and stability are no longer something we can take for granted,” Egede told lawmakers in Nuuk shortly before the vote.
Opposition party Naleraq, the most prominent political voice for Greenland’s independence, questioned the deal’s economic value during the debate.
“We are looking for a better agreement that we can benefit from when we become an independent state. But no economic benefit has been gained from the agreement,” Naleraq chair Pele Broberg said.
The Danish parliament is due to give the bill a first reading on November 11, followed by a second reading and a vote on November 19.
The executive agreement will enter into force once Denmark and Greenland have ratified it, and does not require approval from the US Senate.
(Reporting by Louise Rasmussen and Stine Jacobsen, editing by Terje Solsvik and Gareth Jones)
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