Canada, Denmark deepen defense ties after threatened annexation of Greenland
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Canada and Denmark signed a defense cooperation agreement on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, setting the stage for deeper cooperation after the Trump administration threatened to annex Greenland.
The agreement was signed by Defense Minister David McGuinty on Friday.
Prime Minister Mark Carney was originally supposed to attend and have a one-on-one session with his Danish counterpart, Mette Frederiksen. But Carney chose to stay in Canada following the school shooting in Tumbler Ridge, BC
Denmark has sought to strengthen the defenses of Greenland, an independent territory, due to threats from the United States. In parallel, NATO this week launched the so-called Arctic Sentry initiative, which will coordinate military exercises and the alliance’s response to threats in the region.
“Canada is an Arctic country – and we will defend the North,” McGuinty said in a statement following the signing of the southern German city.
“Today, this defense cooperation agreement with Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands strengthens our joint deterrence and our ability to work freely with our NATO partners in the High North. Today, we send a clear message – the Arctic is secure, and we will keep it that way.”
The cooperation agreement is not a formal agreement and does not oblige Canada to defend Denmark’s sovereignty beyond the obligations already in place under NATO’s Article 5, which states that an attack by one is an attack on all.
US President-elect Donald Trump has long been interested in having control over Greenland, from his willingness to buy the country in 2019, to his recent refusal to issue a military takeover decision. Andrew Chang examines four possible reasons why Trump is calling Greenland ownership an ‘absolute necessity.’ Photos provided by Getty Images, Reuters and The Canadian Press.
Senior government officials, speaking after a technical forum this week, said the new agreement captures and enhances many aspects of the defense cooperation that already exists between Canada and Denmark.
For example, Denmark is contributing a large number of troops to the Canadian-led NATO-led international coalition defending Latvia. Separately, the Danish Ministry of Defense Acquisition is a major customer of Canadian-made assault rifles, signing last September a multi-billion dollar contract for 26,000 C-8 MRR (modular rail rifle) carbines.
The agreement signed on Friday increases cooperation in the areas of surveillance and joint operations, Denmark’s Ministry of Defense said.
Senior Canadian officials, who spoke earlier in the week at a forum aimed at setting up the prime minister’s trip, said talks about the deal preceded US President Donald Trump’s campaign to annex Greenland.
“The text of the agreement has not changed” because of the escalation of the conflict in Greenland, another senior official said.
Trump has long been interested in asserting US “ownership and control” over the Arctic island, saying it is “absolutely necessary” for national security.
US officials reportedly ordered plans for a “possible attack,” prompting Denmark and eight NATO allies to send defense forces to the Arctic island.
Trump entered the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, repeating his demands. But many hours after the speech at the forum, Trump met with the Secretary-General of NATO Mark Rutte and later announced that he will not use force to take the island and there is a draft agreement to meet the security problems of the US.
Although no details have been released, published reports suggest the agreement centers on revising the Greenland Defense Agreement of 1951 to give the United States “full access” and “indefinite rights” to security in Greenland and stronger control over certain “pockets” where US bases are located – such as the British Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus or US Guantanamo Bay in US Guantanamo.
The political turmoil of the war is still being felt in Munich where French President Emmanuel Macron spoke on Friday about Europe being too strong.
“If we want to be taken seriously on the European continent and beyond, we must show the world our unwavering commitment to protect our interests,” Macron said, following a reference to the disagreement over Greenland.
“It starts, of course, with our continued support for Ukraine, but it can well follow by removing unfair taxes and modestly reducing unjust claims on European territory.”
