Nuuk, Greenland, February 07 (QNA) - Canada and France have established consulates in the capital of the autonomous Danish territory of Greenland, a move signaling support for the local government amid regional tensions.
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand, speaking before raising the national flag at the new diplomatic mission, hailed the occasion.
"This is a very important day for us as a country, because we're opening our consulate here in Nuuk, Greenland," Anand said, noting that the move follows Ottawa's 2024 pledge to bolster cooperation with Greenland.
France's Consul General, Jean-Noel Poirier, arrived in Nuuk on Friday to assume his duties immediately, meeting with Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen.
Since beginning his second term last year, the US President has pushed for Washington to take control of the mineral-rich, strategically located Arctic island for security reasons.
While he stepped back from those threats last month, announcing a "framework" deal with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to ensure greater US influence, a joint task force between the US, Denmark, and Greenland is now reviewing Washington's security concerns in the Arctic.
Greenland has maintained diplomatic ties with the European Union since 1992, Iceland since 2017, and Washington since 2014. The United States, which previously operated a consulate there between 1940 and 1953, reopened its mission in 2020, followed by the European Commission in 2024. (QNA)