Canada's Denmark ends “Whiskey War”

After nearly half a decade, Denmark and Canada have resolved the dispute over ownership of the uninhabited island Hans in the Arctic, thereby ending “The War of whiskey”.

The dispute over the island was raised after the start of negotiations in 1971 on the Ners Sea dispute, which divides Canada and Greenland's autonomous Danish territory, reports the BBC.

A sea border agreement was reached in 1973, but during negotiations both sides claimed island rights. Under international law, Denmark and Canada were able to do so, so it was agreed that the Hans island dispute would be resolved later.

In 1984, however, Canada sent an army to the islands that raised the Canadian flag and left a bottle of Canadian whiskey before leaving.

A few weeks later the Danish minister of affairs went to the islands and replaced Canada's flag with the Danish one, leaving a bottle of water from Copenhagen. The minister left a message writing “welcome to Danish island”. So began “Whisky's war”

Over the past 49 years, expeditions from Ottawa and Copenhagen have gone to Hans Island to wave their country's flag and leave a bottle of national beverages.

In 2018, Denmark and Canada decided to form a joint task force to resolve the decades - old dispute. Now officials from the two countries have agreed to split Hans' islands in half.

The Danish Foreign Ministry announced that the agreement between the two countries will be signed after confirmation in the two countries' parliaments. Under the deal, Hans Island will be divided according to the gap on its surface.

When the agreement is signed, Canada and Denmark will have the world's longest maritime border of 3,882 kilometers.