US President Donald Trump has signed a security agreement with Denmark and Greenland aimed at strengthening security cooperation in the Arctic and North Atlantic.

The agreement was signed on Tuesday in New York on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, following months of tensions over Trump’s calls for greater US control over Greenland.

Under the 10-page agreement, the United States will establish two additional military bases in Greenland, one in Narsarsuaq in the south and another in Mestersvig in the east, alongside the existing US base at Pituffik in the north.

The agreement also reaffirms the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark and recognises the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination.

Trump described the agreement as a long-term arrangement that would benefit the United States, Europe and Greenland.

The deal seeks to prevent countries outside NATO and the European Union from gaining control, significant influence or access to sensitive information in strategic sectors of Greenland.

The provisions are aimed particularly at preventing China and Russia from establishing military or strategic footholds in the Arctic territory.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the agreement would strengthen security while preserving Denmark’s sovereignty and Greenland’s right to self-determination.

Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the agreement recognised Greenland’s importance to North American and transatlantic security.

European Council President Antonio Costa welcomed the agreement as a positive development for transatlantic cooperation and Arctic security.

Greenland, which has a population of about 57,000, is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark and has had increasing control over its domestic affairs.

The agreement also provides that Greenland would continue to comply with its security commitments if it becomes independent from Denmark and would remain in, or join, NATO where necessary.

The agreement marks a shift from Trump’s earlier calls for the United States to acquire Greenland, which had caused tensions with Denmark, a NATO ally.