Canada and Denmark ended their ‘whiskey war’ in the Arctic

The two countries formally signed an agreement to share Hans Island, northwest of Greenland, and thus create the first land border between Canada and Europe, at a ceremony in Ottawa attended by the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs and his Danish counterpart.

In a benign stalemate of 49 years, the conflict can thus be seen as the lightning-shaped island divided in two and the agreement between Ottawa and Copenhagen remains the model for resolving territorial disputes around the world. .

The Arctic serves as a beacon of international cooperation, where the rule of law prevailssaid Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly.

With global security at stake, it has never been more important for democracies like Canada and Denmark to work together, together with Indigenous peoples, to resolve our differences in accordance with international law.he added.

At a press conference with Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod, he stressed that the rivalry – which many have called the whiskey war – ay best of all wars.

Jeppe Kofod said for his part that the resolution of the conflict came when the international law -based order is under pressureand democratic values ​​are inatakein reference to the war in Ukraine.

On the contrary, we have shown how long -standing disputes can be resolved peacefully by following rules.he said, adding that he was hopeful inspire other countries to follow the same path.

Hans Island, with an area of ​​1.3 square km, is located between Ellesmere Island in northern Canada and Greenland, Danish territory. The dispute began in 1973 when a maritime boundary was drawn between the two countries.

Danes and Canadians took turns helicoptering the island to take over the territory, leading to diplomatic protests, online campaigns, and even calling on Canada to boycott Danish pastries.

On these visits, each side planted a flag and left a bottle of whiskey or schnapps for the other side.

While exchanging bottles on Tuesday, Mélanie Joly and Jeppe Kofod laughed at the idea that Canada could join the European Union now that the two entities share a land border.

Covered in snow, Hans Island is uninhabitable, but the effects of climate change are bringing more maritime traffic to the Arctic and opening it up to more exploitation of its resources, particularly fisheries.

According to Arctic expert Michael Byers, the island is nonetheless so far unprofitable to consider any serious activity there.

Drive away sine die any resolution to this unusual conflict has long represented a good opportunity for political opposition for each party, particularly before the election.

It was a completely risk -free sovereignty dispute between two NATO allies on a small, insignificant island.explanation to AFP Michael Byers.

Denmark also fears that defeat in this battle on Hans Island will damage its relations with Greenland while Canada worries that a defeat will weaken its positions in negotiating with the United States in a dispute this time around. of hydrocarbons.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has not made the sovereignty of the Arctic part of its identity policy, according to Michael Byers, that has become possible reduce the temperatureat least on the Canadian side.

But more importantly, Russia invaded Ukraine, and it created the right opportunity to tell the world that the countries responsible are agreeing to their territorial disputes peacefully.He added.

A text by Michel Comte