Paris (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – French Foreign Minister Jean Noel Barrot responded to a question regarding French President Emmanuel Macron’s travel to the Arctic island by telling RTL radio on Sunday that Greenland is a European area and that it is appropriate for Europe and France to express interest.
Macron is visiting Greenland on Sunday to show solidarity with Denmark, sending a message of European unity in response to US President Donald Trump‘s threat to take control of the island.
The first prominent figure to be invited by Greenland’s new prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, is the president of France. Before Macron moves on to the G7 meeting in Canada, discussions will center on issues like as climate change, economic development, vital minerals, and the security of the North Atlantic and Arctic.
Greenland is a self-governing region of Denmark with the right to become independent. Both Greenland and Denmark’s governments have made it clear that the region is not up for sale and only Greenlanders can decide their own future.
US President Donald Trump has expressed his desire for the United States to seize control of the mineral-rich, strategically important Arctic island and has not ruled out the use of force. His Vice President, JD Vance, had visited a US military base there in March.
Why is Macron visiting Greenland at this moment?
The prime ministers of Greenland and Denmark welcomed Macron, who became the first foreign leader to visit Greenland since Trump’s overt threats to “get” the island. According to him, the purpose of his visit is to stop any “preying” from entering the area. Macron will talk with his hosts about Arctic security and climate change while seeing the capital Nuuk, a glacier, and an EU-funded hydropower plant.
How are Greenland and Denmark responding to US pressure?
Denmark’s Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, is also attending and has described the French president’s visit as “another clear sign of European unity” in the face of a “challenging foreign policy situation over the past few months”.
“France has stood by us since the first statements about taking our land emerged. This support is both necessary and gratifying,”
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said ahead of Macron’s visit.
