Canada And Denmark Resolve 'Friendliest Of All Wars' Over Hans Island

A nearly half-century diplomatic struggle between Canada and Denmark regarding an unoccupied island bisected by their international boundary has been resolved.

What Happened: Hans Island is a 0.50-square mile rock in the Kennedy Channel that separates Canada’s Nunavut territory and Greenland, a Danish autonomous territory. Both countries claimed the island, but a 1973 treaty neglected to define its status.

Over the years, Canadian and Danish leaders and military personnel landed at the island to raise their respective flags. Over the dozen years, attempts to resolve the matter repeatedly failed to produce a result.

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What Happened Now: Finally, a solution was unveiled this week as Canada and Denmark agreed to divide Hans Island in half, with roughly 60% of its territory part being incorporated into Greenland and the rest being ceded into Nunavut.

According to the New York Times, the Canadian and Danish foreign ministers compared their polite diplomacy to the tumult happening elsewhere in Europe.

“This sends a strong signal at a time when we see big powers brutally violating fundamental international law, like what is being done by Russia in Ukraine,” said Jeppe Kofod, the Danish foreign minister.

“It was the friendliest of all wars,” said Mélanie Joly, the Canadian foreign minister. “But when you look at what’s going on in the world right now, particularly since the invasion by Russia of Ukraine, we really wanted to give more momentum and renew our energies to make sure that we would find a solution.”

Photo: Toubletap / Pixabay