Canada’s defence minister calls U.S. deal on Greenland ‘encouraging’

OTTAWA — National Defence Minister David McGuinty says the United States’ deal to boost its military presence in Greenland while keeping the island under Danish control is “encouraging.”

U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday he has a deal with Denmark after months of threatening to take the island by force from the NATO ally.

The office of Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, says the agreement will be signed by three governments next week during the United Nations General Assembly, but parliamentary action is still needed by the Danish and Greenland governments before it can be enforced.

Speaking to reporters on Parliament Hill on Saturday, McGuinty says it’s encouraging that the U.S. and Greenland have found a way to move forward together.