Canada and France open consulates in Greenland
NUUK, Greenland (AP) — Canada and France opened diplomatic consulates in Greenland’s capital Friday, showing support for NATO ally Denmark and the Arctic island following U.S. efforts to secure control of the semi-autonomous Danish territory.
Canada’s maple leaf flag was raised and dozens of people sang “O Canada” at Foreign Minister Anita Anand’s official opening of the country’s consulate in Nuuk, which is also the largest city on the icy Arctic island.
“The importance of raising this flag today and officially opening the consulate is that we will stand with the people of Greenland and Denmark on many issues,” she said.
Anand cited deepening ties in defense, security, climate change, economic resilience and Arctic cooperation.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Friday that Jean-Noël Poirier was taking over as consul general, making him the first European Union country to establish a consulate general in Greenland.
Greenland’s Sermitsiaq reported that Poirier arrived Friday with the Canadian delegation, but said the consul did not yet have a physical consulate.
Poirier will be “responsible for working to deepen existing cooperation projects with Greenland in the cultural, scientific and economic fields, while strengthening political ties with local authorities,” the ministry said.
France says the decision to open its outpost was made during President Emmanuel Macron’s visit in June.
Canada pledged to open a consulate in Greenland in 2024, ahead of Trump’s recent talk of a power grab, and the official inauguration was delayed from November due to bad weather.
US President Donald Trump announced last month that he would impose new tariffs on Denmark and seven other European countries that opposed his buyout calls, only to abruptly abandon his threats. He said a “framework” for a deal had been reached on access to mineral-rich Greenland. Few details of this agreement have been revealed.
Last week, technical negotiations began between the United States, Denmark and Greenland towards an agreement on Arctic security. The foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland had agreed to create a working group in a meeting with US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, before Trump made his tariff threats.
