Greenland welcomes US military pact but trust still shaky

NUUK, Greenland: Greenland's government and residents expressed relief that a military pact with the United States and Denmark may end anxiety over President Donald Trump's threats to seize their Arctic island, but many remain distrustful of Washington.

"I am incredibly relieved and think the outcome is very sensible. We can be satisfied," Naaja Nathanielsen, a Greenlandic MP in the Danish parliament, told Reuters.

Parliament speaker Kim Kielsen urged households to raise the Greenlandic flag on Wednesday (Sep 23). Activist and influencer Orla Joelsen encouraged residents in the capital Nuuk to show up at the airport to welcome the prime minister and foreign minister back from New York, where they struck the deal.

NEW US BASES

The agreement allows the US to expand its military presence on Greenland, reopening Cold War-era bases in the settlements of Narsarsuaq and Mestersvig, with a prospect of renewed spending and employment potential.

But it stopped short of Trump's unsettling previous demand that the US annex Greenland to head off the growing Arctic presence of Russia and China.

"There has previously been a significant American presence in Greenland, so this is nothing new," added Nathanielsen. "However, in light of the unrest over the past few years, there is likely greater scepticism in Greenland, and consequently, work needs to be done to reassure the local population."

The US first built military bases in Greenland during World War Two. During the Cold War, it maintained 17 military installations and more than 10,000 personnel to monitor Soviet forces. Today only Pituffik Space Base remains, with some 150 US military personnel.

RESIDENTS DIVIDED

Pitanguaq Mikissen, 69, a retired ship assistant, said the potential reopening of some old US bases gave greater security to the territory's 57,000 people.

But not all residents were happy.

"I think that Trump is really good at creating a lot of worry and a lot of fear," said Jensia Dam-Davidsen, 40, a voice and choir teacher.

"It (the deal) seems wrong in every way – especially now that Denmark has expanded their military presence here."

Denmark has significantly increased its own military footprint in Greenland since Trump's threats peaked in January, deploying additional troops, boosting Arctic defence spending and hosting allies under military exercises. 

Malene Vahl Rasmussen, mayor of Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland, where the US is looking to reopen the Narsasuaq military base, said that under the agreement, US military expansion must respect the Greenlandic way of life to protect hunting and fishing.

"You can't simply say, 'Okay, we’ve signed this, so now we trust you again'. Trust really needs to be rebuilt within that partnership," she told Reuters.

Some Greenlanders worry that expanded military activity - including increased aircraft and vessel movement - could disrupt hunting and fishing grounds that communities rely on for a living, though the agreement states such activity must respect Greenlandic society and traditional ways of life.