The crew of the Danish warship Vedderen perform a flag-raising ceremony on the uninhabited island of Hans in northwestern Greenland on August 13, 2002. VEDDEREN / The Canadian Press
Canada and Denmark have reached an agreement in a decades-old border dispute over Hans Island, a 1.3-square-kilometer rock in the Arctic seaway between Greenland and Ellesmere Island, sources said.
The island’s Inuit name is Tartupaluk, which describes its kidney shape, and according to the agreement, a border will be drawn across the island, dividing it between the Canadian territory of Nunavut and the semi-autonomous territory of Greenland.
Canadians and Danes plan to present the agreement on June 14 and celebrate it as an example of how countries can peacefully resolve border disputes, although Russia ignored the rules-based international order and launched a large-scale military assault on Ukraine, sources say. The Globe and Mail did not identify the sources because they were not allowed to speak publicly on the matter.
The dispute over the small island of Hans dates back to the early 1970s, when countries were negotiating their maritime border; they left the status of the islet for future negotiations.
Aluki Kotierk, President of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI), Nunavut Inuit legal representative on Native treaty rights and treaty negotiation, said the dispute has never worried Inuit. But he praised the deal.
“The dispute between Canada and Denmark over Tartupaluk or Hans Island has never caused any problems for Inuit. Regardless, it is great to see that Canada and Denmark are taking steps to resolve this border dispute,” she said. Kotierk in a statement.
“As family ties with family ties, the Inuit of Nunavut and Greenland recognize the importance of working together for our common future. NTI hopes this long-standing relationship between the Inuit of Nunavut and Greenland will be a symbol of continued Canada and Denmark “.
He also noted the key role of Inuit in consolidating Canada’s authority over its Arctic territory. “Canada’s sovereignty in the Arctic is only possible through Inuit use and occupation,” Ms. Kotierk.
Michael Byers, an Arctic expert and political scientist at the University of British Columbia, applauded the news of a deal. He said that in 2022, when Russia is violating Ukraine’s sovereign territory, it is a perfect opportunity for Canada and Denmark to “clean up their own backyard and send a signal to other countries.”
Clashes on Hans Island go back decades.
In 1983, Canada issued a land use permit to a Canadian oil company to set up a science camp on Hans Island that would study how sea ice could affect drilling rigs, Professor Byers said. In 1984, Tom Hoyem, then the Danish Greenland Minister flew by helicopter to Hans Island and planted a Danish flag, prompting the Canadian government to issue a diplomatic protest, he added.
In 1988, 1995, 2002, 2003 and 2004, Professor Byers said. In 2000, a team of geologists from the Geographical Society of Canada visited the island, mapped its location, and took geological samples.
In 2004, the Wall Street Journal quoted Peter Taksoe-Jensen, a legal adviser to the Danish Foreign Minister, on how both countries maintained a sense of humor throughout the dispute: “When the Danish military went there , leave a bottle of schnaps. And when [Canadian] the military forces arrive, leaving a bottle of Canadian Club [whisky] and a sign saying, “Welcome to Canada.” ”
In 2005, then-Defense Minister Bill Graham visited Hans Island to vindicate Canada’s claim. His journey came shortly after Canadian military personnel visited the island and planted a Canadian flag and built an Inuit stone marker known as the Inukshuk.
Mr. Hoyem, the former Danish minister, responded by writing a column in The Globe stating that “Hans Island has been used for centuries by Greenlandic Inuit as an ideal point of view for an overview of the ice and ice situation. “Perspectives, especially for polar bears and seals. Canadian Inuit have never used the island.”
Professor Byers said Canadians should remember that the Inuit of Greenland and Nunavut “are the same people and had no boundaries or frontiers before the arrival of the Europeans”.
He said he thinks the fact that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has not made Arctic sovereignty part of his political brand has helped create a situation where an agreement could be reached.
“It’s a great example of how when you lower the political temperature, you can solve the points of friction.”
The settlement means that for Canadians who can afford the many thousands of dollars it would cost to get to this islet, Hans Island offers them a unique Canadian land border with Europe.
“You can go to Hans Island and go from Canada to Europe and back to Canada. I can’t imagine there being any border officials,” Professor Byers said.
He said that according to him, the agreement has no impact on maritime rights, because Canada and Denmark resolved these issues in 1973.
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