Arya News - In a show of solidarity with Greenland, which has been rattled by threats of a U.S. take over, Canada and France established consulates on the island.
Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Canada was set to formally open its first diplomatic mission in Greenland, joining France, which on Friday became the first European Union state to set up a consulate-general in solidarity with Greenlanders in the wake of U.S. efforts to take over the semi-autonomous region of Denmark.
Canadian officials, including foreign minister Anita Anand and King Charles" representative in Canada, Governor General Mary Simon, who were en route with a Canadian Coast Guard escort, were expected to arrive in Nuuk, the island"s capital, in time for the opening later Friday.
They will be met by Canada"s representative for the island, Senior Arctic Official and Arctic Ambassador Virginia Mearns, whose brief covers a broad swath of the high north.
Canada "stands firmly in support of the people of Greenland who will determine their own future," Simon said Tuesday in a speech during a visit to Norway"s Arctic Sapmi region as part of a round of visits to northern countries, including Denmark.
Nevertheless, the administration of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has been at pains to stress that it in no way wishes to exacerbate the situation, with Defense Minister David McGuinty saying Canada wouldn"t be deploying additional troops to take part in "Arctic Endurance" exercises by European allies in and around Greenland.
France"s foreign ministry said Jean-Noel Poirier, a former member of France"s mission to the United Nations and French consul-general in Vietnam, would take office Friday in Nuuk as its first Consul General on the island.
"At the request of Jean-Noel Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the new consul general will be actively engaged in serving Greenland"s French community and tasked with working to deepen existing cultural, scientific and economic cooperation projects with Greenland, while strengthening political ties with the authorities there," France"s foreign ministry said in a news release .
"France reiterates its commitment to respect for the Kingdom of Denmark"s territorial integrity," the statement added.
Previously, the only countries with formal diplomatic missions in Nuuk were Iceland and the United States, which reopened its consulate in June 2020 after an almost seven-decade-long hiatus.
Ahead of Friday"s events, residents in Nuuk told Politico that they longed for a return to normalcy following a series of comments made by U.S. President Donald Trump that the United States needs Greenland as a bulwark against Russia and China and will acquire it one way or the other.
"Forget Greenland. Forget Greenland, Trump, and just give us back our normal life," said Pipaluk Olsen.
However, local officials said they welcomed the show of support from Canada and Europe.
"It"s really important for us to know that we are not alone in this, that we actually have people from other countries who care about us. People are scared and they are more and more concerned. Because of Trump"s statements, they get worse and worse," said Nuuk Mayor Avaaraq Olsen.