Washington, United States. The United States is considering a deal that would give it sovereign control over military bases in Greenland, mirroring Britain’s colonial-era arrangement in Cyprus, The New York Times reported. Greenland’s prime minister said he opposed granting the US sovereignty over bases, calling it a “red line.”
Proposal discussed with Western officials
Western officials told The New York Times that one proposal under discussion would allow the United States to own pockets of land in Greenland for military bases, similar to the agreement under which Britain operates Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus.
President Donald Trump said he had reached a tentative deal with NATO over Greenland, though few details have emerged about the framework, the newspaper reported.
Cyprus bases and international law
The Cyprus bases occupy an unusual position in international law rooted in Britain’s colonial history, the report said. Experts told the newspaper that Trump may be interested in a similar arrangement because it could give the United States a permanent presence in Greenland with greater control over the region and possibly the ability to exploit natural resources in the territory and the Arctic.
Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said on Thursday he was not in favour of giving the United States sovereignty over military bases there. “We are ready to discuss a lot of things,” Nielsen said, according to the Times. “Sovereignty is a red line.”
How Britain’s Sovereign Base Areas operate
The British Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus consist of two large areas in the southwest and southeast of the island, totaling about 100 square miles, the Times reported. They were established in 1960 as part of an agreement that gave Cyprus independence from Britain.
The bases are British overseas territories, like Bermuda and the Falkland Islands. While they resemble US military outposts like Guantanamo Bay in Cuba or Kadena Air Base in Japan, the Cyprus territories are subject to British sovereignty, the newspaper reported.
Professor Costas M. Constantinou, who teaches international relations at the University of Cyprus, told the Times that British law officially applies and the Sovereign Base Areas are not in the Republic of Cyprus or the European Union. The areas have separate court systems and police agencies, though borders are largely open and no passport is needed for Cypriots to enter, according to the report.
Assessment of a Greenland arrangement
Constantinou told the newspaper that creating American bases in Greenland similar to those in Cyprus would likely be more beneficial to the United States than taking over all of Greenland, which Trump said was his initial goal. Such an arrangement would allow the United States to avoid expenses associated with governing populations while bringing the bases under full US control, he said.
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