Canada opens consulate in Greenland in show of support for Arctic island

{"text":[[{"start":9.2,"text":"Canada opened a consulate in Greenland on Friday in a show of support for the Arctic island after US threats to take control of the territory."}],[{"start":19.939999999999998,"text":"In sub-zero temperatures the Canadian flag was raised outside the small consulate while more than a 100 guests, including a delegation of Canadian Inuit, sang the national anthem."}],[{"start":32.739999999999995,"text":"Canadian foreign minister Anita Anand, who was in the island’s capital of Nuuk to inaugurate the diplomatic mission, said the opening shows “that we will stand together with the people of Greenland and Denmark on many issues”."}],[{"start":47.839999999999996,"text":"“This is a historic day,” said Greenland’s foreign minister Vivian Motzfeldt. “This is not just the opening of a building but a further strengthening of the friendship and co-operation between Greenland and Canada.”  "}],[{"start":62.23,"text":"France also opened a consulate in Nuuk on Friday, making it the first EU member to have a diplomatic mission in Greenland."}],[{"start":70.28,"text":"Ottawa announced plans to set up the Nuuk consulate more than a year ago but its opening comes amid international disquiet over threats by US President Donald Trump to take control of the semi-autonomous territory that belongs to fellow Nato member Denmark."}],[{"start":87.21000000000001,"text":"In a widely praised speech during this month’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced there had been a “rupture in the world order”, taking aim at Trump’s disruptive policies without naming the US president. "}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":103.54,"text":"The shift meant that Canada was taking a new “principled and pragmatic” approach to foreign policy, Carney said. “On Arctic sovereignty, we stand firmly with Greenland and Denmark and fully support their unique right to determine Greenland’s future.”"}],[{"start":120.39000000000001,"text":"Trump has repeatedly threatened to take control of Greenland, insisting it is vital to US security and could be exploited for its vast mineral wealth. His threats follow the publication of the White House’s new national security strategy that states the US wants “to restore American pre-eminence in the Western Hemisphere”."}],[{"start":142.39000000000001,"text":"Trump has also mused about making Canada the 51st American state and has imposed punitive tariffs on Canadian automobiles, steel and lumber."}],[{"start":153.28000000000003,"text":"The Greenland consulate is part of “our new foreign policy and Arctic strategy . . . [and is] focused on security, sovereignty, and partnership in the North”, Anand wrote in a post on X."}],[{"start":165.82000000000002,"text":"Canada and Denmark share a 3,900km maritime border as well as cultural and historic links. Many Canadian Inuit share ancestry with Greenland’s indigenous Kalaallit Inuit and a large group flew to Nuuk for the new consulate’s opening in a show of solidarity."}],[{"start":185.91000000000003,"text":"Ottawa has allocated C$81.8bn ($59.9bn) to defence over the next five years, with much of it going to boost the country’s military presence in the Canadian Arctic."}],[{"start":209.34000000000003,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1770596279_4787.mp3"}