Denmark, Greenland, US to sign Arctic security agreement

Denmark, its autonomous territory of Greenland and the United States will sign an agreement in New York on Tuesday to strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic region, the Danish Prime Minister's Office said on Monday, reported Xinhua.

The agreement will be signed by Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and U.S. President Donald Trump, according to the office's statement.

The signing ceremony is expected to take place at United Nations headquarters at 10:30 a.m. local time (1430 GMT), on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the statement said, but did not disclose the agreement's specific terms.

Trump announced on social media on Friday that the three sides had reached a deal, saying it would give the United States "permanent control" over Greenland's security.

In response, Frederiksen said on the same day that the agreement recognizes the Kingdom of Denmark's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the Greenlandic people's right to self-determination.

Under a defense agreement signed by Denmark and the United States in 1951 and amended in 2004, the U.S. military already has broad authorization to maintain personnel and facilities in Greenland, including the Pituffik Space Base.