Greenlanders are about to receive some crucial diplomatic support from Canada and France in the island’s continuing battle with
Donald Trump.
Governor-General Mary Simon
will be in Nuuk on Friday to open a consulate in the capital. A Canadian Coast Guard ship, the Jean Goodwill, will be on hand for the ceremony. And French officials are expected to open a consulate on Thursday.
Canada and France are among the first countries to establish diplomatic missions in Greenland in the wake of the U.S. President’s
threats to acquire the Arctic island, which is a self-governing part of Denmark. Canada’s pledge to set up a consulate was made in late 2024 as part of a review of Arctic foreign policy, but the proposal took on added importance in recent months as Mr. Trump ratcheted up his rhetoric.
Currently only Iceland and the U.S. have diplomatic consulates in Nuuk although several countries have honorary consuls, who are typically local citizens and provide limited services.
The new consulates are part of a growing effort by European and NATO countries to show support for Greenland and its 57,000 residents.
“Let me be clear: Canada stands firmly in support of the people of Greenland who will determine their own future,” Ms. Simon said during a speech at the Arctic Frontiers conference in Norway on Tuesday. “Another country should not interfere in a sovereign state,” she added in an interview with the CBC.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has made it clear that his country’s new consulate is also a clear statement of support for Greenland and Denmark.
“It’s firstly to signal our desire to deepen our presence in every dimension on that territory belonging to the Kingdom of Denmark,” he said in an interview with France’s LCI television last month. “It’s sending a political signal, but one that’s combined with a desire to play a more active role in Greenland.”
