US Greenland Annexation Bill Being 1st Such US Initiative In Nearly 130 Years
MOSCOW, Jan 15 (Bernama-Sputnik/RIA Novosti) -- The Greenland Annexation and Statehood Act submitted to the US Congress is the first US initiative to annex a foreign territory in the past 128 years, RIA Novosti reported on Wednesday.
On Monday, Republican Congressman Randy Fine introduced the bill that would allow US President Donald Trump to take all the actions necessary to annex or acquire Greenland in the name of US security interests. Democrat senators believe that the annexation of the island by Washington would lead to the end of NATO and a war with Europe.
The last time the United States used the mechanism of direct annexation through a legislative act was in 1898, when the Hawaiian Islands became part of the country despite protests from the indigenous population. Prior to that, Texas was similarly incorporated into the US in 1845.
All of Washington's territorial acquisitions in the 20th century were formalised through other legal procedures, such as purchase, voluntary transfer or a UN mandate.
The last major territory to come under US administration was the Northern Mariana, Caroline, and Marshall Islands in 1947, which received the status of UN trust territories.
To take effect, Fine's bill must be approved by the foreign affairs committee, pass successful votes in the House of Representatives and the Senate and then be signed into law by the US president.
Trump has repeatedly said that Greenland should become part of the US, citing its strategic importance for national security and the defense of the "free world," including from China and Russia. Denmark and Greenland's authorities warned the US against seizing the island, noting that they expect respect for their shared territorial integrity.
The island was a Danish colony until 1953. It has remained a part of the Kingdom of Denmark after gaining autonomy in 2009, with the ability to self-govern and determine its own domestic policy.
--BERNAMA-SPUTNIK/RIA NOVOSTI
