Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand and Governor General Mary Simon visited Greenland on Friday and attended the opening of Canada‘s consulate.
Anand met with Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenland‘s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt in Nuuk to discuss collaboration on Arctic security.
Canada announced its plans in December when Anand said the country would open consulates in Greenland and Anchorage, Alaska, as part of efforts to reinforce its presence in the Arctic.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has also pledged to boost Canada‘s military and security presence in the Arctic.
France, whose foreign minister is due to visit in the next few weeks, is the first country from the European Union to open a consulate general in Greenland. Paris has just nine citizens living on the island.
“France reiterates its commitment to respecting the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark,” the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday.