The great “whiskey war” between Denmark and Canada – their friendly territorial dispute over an arid and uninhabited rock in the Arctic – has come to an end after 49 years.
Disagreement over who owns the half-square-mile Hans Island has been a source of cordial friction between the two nations for decades.
But now the countries have agreed to divide the small island among themselves to an extent that they hope will send a “clear signal” that border disputes can be resolved peacefully and pragmatically.
Canada and Denmark agreed in 1973 to create a border across the Nares Strait, halfway between Greenland and Canada, but could not agree on which country would have sovereignty over Hans Island. about 684 miles south of the North Pole.
In the end, they decided to settle the matter later.
In the years that followed, the territorial dispute – dubbed the “Whiskey War” by the media – raised its head several times.
In 1984, the Danish Minister of Greenlandic Affairs raised a Danish flag on the island, buried a bottle of Danish schnaps at the base of the flagpole and left a note saying, “Welcome to the Danish island “.
Not to be outdone, the Canadians planted their own Maple Leaf flag on the island and left a bottle of Canadian brandy.
The “dispute” would continue for decades, with the two countries taking turns to lift their colors and leave bottles of alcohol.
The new agreement enters into force once the internal procedures of the two countries have been completed. In Denmark, Parliament must first give its consent to the agreement.
“It sends a clear signal that it is possible to resolve border disputes … in a pragmatic and peaceful way, with all parties winning,” said Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod.
He said it was “an important sign now that there is a lot of war and unrest in the world.”