NUUK, Greenland — Canada and France opened diplomatic consulates on Friday in the capital of Greenland, showing support for NATO ally Denmark and the Arctic island in the wake of U.S. efforts to secure control of the semiautonomous Danish territory.
Canada's maple-leaf flag went up and dozens of people sang ''O Canada'' as Foreign Minister Anita Anand officially opened the country's consulate in Nuuk, which is also the largest city of the icy Arctic island.
''The significance of raising this flag today and formally opening the consulate is that we will stand together with the people of Greenland and Denmark on many issues,'' she said.
Anand cited deepening ties on defense, security, climate change, economic resilience and Arctic co-operation.
France's Foreign Ministry said Jean-Noël Poirier was taking up his duties as consul general on Friday, making it the first European Union country to establish a consulate general in Greenland.
Greenland's Sermitsiaq reported that Poirier had arrived Friday along with Canada's delegation, but said the consul doesn't yet have a physical consulate.
Poirier will be ''tasked with working to deepen existing cooperation projects with Greenland in the cultural, scientific, and economic fields, while also strengthening political ties with the local authorities,'' the ministry said.
France says the decision to open its outpost was made when President Emmanuel Macron visited in June.
