France said on Friday that it is the first country in the European Union to have opened a consulate in Greenland.
The French Foreign Ministry, in a post on X, said Jean-Noël Poirier, the French consul general in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, started his job on Friday. He will be responsible, among other tasks, for strengthening political ties with local decision-makers.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans for the consulate in Nuuk last June, after US President Donald Trump said he wanted to take control of Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark.
The conflict over the Arctic island recently escalated when Trump threatened to annex it, refusing to rule out force to do so.
At a meeting in Davos, Switzerland last month Trump withdrew his threats to use military force and also dropped punitive tariffs against several European countries that had opposed his efforts.
Denmark and the US are trying to find a solution through talks.