Hans Island. File photoMOSCOW, June 15Canada and Denmark have signed an agreement to settle a territorial dispute over the 1.3 square kilometer Hans Island in the Arctic Ocean, according to the website of the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Previously, the countries agreed that Hans Island will be a boundary separating it between the Canadian territory of Nunavut and the semi-autonomous Danish territory of Greenland.
"Today, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly and Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod, together with Greenland Prime Minister Mute B. Egede signed an agreement in Ottawa that resolves unresolved border issues on the island of Tartupaluk/Gansa", according to the website of the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
It is also noted that this agreement is an «important historical milestone» in relations between «friends and neighbors» and is the culmination of many years of discussions. The territorial dispute between Denmark and Canada for the right to own the island Hans lasted from 1973, when an agreement was being developed on the delimitation of the continental shelf between Canada and Greenland. The parties agreed that, since the island is not a maritime territory, its ownership should be considered separately, but a formal agreement was never reached. The conflict proceeded in a relatively «peaceful» form, but it is not so easy to resolve it, since the geographical location determines the strategic importance of the region. Croatia court due to territorial dispute