France to open consulate in Greenland in February amid Trump threats

PARIS — France will open its first consulate in Greenland Feb. 6, French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said in a radio interview Wednesday.

Barrot said the creation of a French diplomatic outpost in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, is a “political signal” as threats from U.S. President Donald Trump to seize the Denmark-administered territory rattle European capitals.

French President Emmanuel Macron previously announced plans to open a consulate in Greenland when he visited Nuuk in June. Macron last week criticized Washington for having designs on Greenland in a major foreign policy speech.

A French foreign ministry official said at a Senate hearing in November that the consulate’s opening was a geo-strategic decision aimed at countering “expansionist ambitions expressed by the US president. She said it will cost French taxpayers €500,000 and that Denmark would assist in the process.

The United States and Iceland are among the small group of countries who already have consulates in Greenland. Canada is also planning on opening one in the coming weeks.

Paul de Villepin contributed to this report.