France opens Consulate in Greenland

Paris: France has opened a Consulate in Greenland, becoming the first European Union country to establish a diplomatic mission in the autonomous Danish territory, the French Foreign Ministry said Friday.

Jean-Noel Poirier has taken up his post as Consul General in Greenland’s capital of Nuuk, a move to strengthen France’s consular network, the ministry said in a post on social media X.

President Emmanuel Macron first announced his plan for the consulate during a visit to Greenland in June last year, and signed a decree appointing Poirier earlier this week.

Poirier previously served as France’s Ambassador to Vietnam from 2012 to 2016, Xinhua news agency reported. His current mandate includes promoting scientific cooperation with Greenland, advising French companies interested in investing or setting up business on the world’s largest island, and cooperating with local authorities to map the mineral potential of Greenland’s subsoil.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said last month that opening the Consulate sends a “political signal” and reflects France’s intention to strengthen its presence in Greenland “at all levels.”

Other countries are also expanding their diplomatic footprints in Nuuk. Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand is also to open a new consulate there on Friday.

On Tuesday, an official said that NATO has begun military planning for an “Arctic Sentry” mission to enhance vigilance as tensions persist between the United States and European allies over Greenland.

“We can confirm that planning for Arctic Sentry is underway,” a NATO official told Xinhua news agency, without providing further details.

The official was also confirming an earlier report citing Martin O’Donnell, a spokesman for NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, who said planning had begun for “Arctic Sentry,” an activity that would further strengthen NATO’s posture in the Arctic and the High North.

The move comes after repeated comments by US President Donald Trump that he wants to acquire Greenland, a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, sparking strong opposition across Europe.

Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in an interview with Danish Broadcasting Corporation on Tuesday that despite the resumption of diplomatic talks with the US government, Washington’s desire to take over Greenland remains.

IANS