Canada and Denmark have settled a territorial dispute over the remote Arctic island of Tartipaluk, which has lasted since 1973 and has been dubbed the Whiskey War.
At a joint press conference in Ottawa, Danish Foreign Minister Eppe Kofod and his Canadian counterpart Melanie Jolie made a historic decision, according to the BBC.
The countries decided to divide the island into an area of 1.3 square meters. km between them. Thus, a land border emerged between Canada and Denmark. About 60% of the island went to Denmark and 40% to Canada. The agreement also defines a sea border on the shelf within 200 nautical miles and a continental shelf outside the area.
The agreement will enter into force after the completion of all internal procedures in the countries. In Denmark, the decision must be made by parliament.
- The island of Tartipaluk or Hans, named after the Greenlandic Arctic traveler of the 19th century, has no economic significance and is completely empty. Nevertheless, Canada and Denmark periodically sent troops to the island, who changed the flag of the state to their own and left a bottle of whiskey or schnapps near it. Because of this, the border dispute was called the "Whiskey War".