Two new doors are opening in Greenland today. And they are important, even if Trump probably won’t bat an eye.

Two new consulates can today be hoisted on the flagpole in Nuuk, as both Canada and France are now opening their own consulates in Greenland for the first time.

This is important for both Greenland and the Kingdom, says Marc Jacobsen, a lecturer at the Defence Academy and an expert in international Arctic politics.

Partly because the countries with the consulates recognize Greenland’s role on the international stage and show support from close allies, especially Canada, which is Greenland’s nearest neighbor and has also noted Trump’s ambitions to expand American territory.

“And it’s also a signal to Donald Trump that Canada and France have Denmark and Greenland’s back on this. We stand closer together. It will be less of a David vs. Goliath struggle. This is hugely important and very well-timed,” says Marc Jacobsen.

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**‘Brutal reality’**

Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered a highly praised speech in January, urging Western nations to face reality.

“The world we once knew has ‘broken apart,’ and we are now moving into a more ‘brutal reality.’ We must stop pretending and stick together,” he said.

Mark Carney’s speech at the World Economic Forum on January 20 this year went viral. In it, he expressed unconditional support for Greenland among other things. (Photo: © Denis Balibouse, Reuters/Ritzau Scanpix)

“He says that if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu, and he encourages all middle powers and small states to stand together,” says Marc Jacobsen.

“And on the grandest scale, the Canadian consulate is also an expression of that. When Donald Trump threatens to take over other countries, we must stand closer together,” he adds.

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**A political signal**

There are also commercial interests at play, including potential mining and a cultural bond between Greenland and Canada, both of which have large Inuit populations.

But it is primarily the political signal that matters. This also applies to France, according to Kirsten Malling Biering, former Danish ambassador to France and now a senior advisor at the think tank Europa.

“It is significant at a time when there has been so much discussion about Greenland’s status. It is important to have this support, and it is important to constantly remind everyone that this support exists,” she says.

Last week, Greenland’s Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. (Photo: © Ludovic Marin, AFP/Ritzau Scanpix)

Recently, the French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated in both Greenlandic and Danish that France supports Greenland’s right to determine its own future—and that France stands shoulder to shoulder with the Realm.

Read also: Suddenly Macron switched to Greenlandic—and Danish (https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/udland/reels/pludselig-slog-macron-over-i-groenlandsk-og-dansk)

The new French consulate and France’s commitment do not come out of nowhere but are built on principles and a French self-understanding.

Partly the principle of the inviolability of borders and the right to self-determination, but also the goal that “Europe must step up,” explains Kirsten Malling Biering.

“This is very much a French idea. Europe must defend itself and create respect for what Europe stands for. It is a defense of Europe as a power factor.”

“And finally, there is the fact that Europe, for a modern France, is also the key to what France can be in international contexts,” she adds.

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**Trump is ‘indifferent’**

Iceland opened a consulate in Greenland in 2013, the U.S. in 2020, the EU in 2024, and now Canada and France follow suit.

A consulate is typically used for practical assistance to a nation’s citizens in a foreign country or to help businesses.

But this is not because there is suddenly a surge of French and Canadian citizens in Greenland. This is more high politics, though there is now also a practical element to having “a man in Nuuk.”

Through the two consulates, France and Canada can have more direct contact with Greenland’s self-government without necessarily going through Copenhagen, says Marc Jacobsen from the Defence Academy.

While the goal is to send a strong signal, he doubts that these signals will register on the American president’s radar.

“Trump clearly doesn’t care about what’s happening in Greenland. We recently saw that he couldn’t even remember who Jens Frederik Nielsen was and was indifferent to what he did. It was a very strong image of how little he cares about what’s happening in Greenland,” he says.

Read also: Why Trump thinks Greenland is the ideal home for his ‘Golden Dome’ (https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/groenland/derfor-mener-trump-groenland-er-det-optimale-hjem-hans-golden-dome)

On Friday, Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen (M) travels to Nuuk.

He will be accompanied by Canada’s Foreign Minister, Anita Anand, and Canada’s Governor General, Mary Simon, as well as the French Ambassador to Denmark, Christophe Parisot, and the new French consul general in Nuuk, Jean-Noël Poirier.

The Canadian consul general is already in Nuuk, while the American Senator Lisa Murkowski is also expected to visit Nuuk on Friday.

DR Nyheder will follow the event in a live blog here.

Warning: This article was translated by a Large Language Model, in case of doubt, you can always visit the original source.