by Xinhua writer Yao Yulin

Canada and France opened new consulates in Nuuk as gestures of solidarity with Greenland and its Inuit population, amid intensified U.S. threats to take over the island, a move that has sparked backlash across Europe.

NUUK, Greenland, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- At what Inuit leader Natan Obed calls a "scary time" for his people, new foreign consulates in Nuuk are emerging as symbols of solidarity with an Inuit Greenland.

As Canada's Foreign Minister Anita Anand put it, "Nothing about the Arctic without the Arctic peoples," a message echoed as Canada and France launched their consulates in the Greenlandic capital.

The Canadian delegation, fresh from a Thursday visit to Denmark, brought more than diplomatic credentials to the Friday afternoon reception in Nuuk. Mary Simon, the first Inuk to serve as Canada's Governor General, said in her speech that the opening of Canada's first consulate in Nuuk not only strengthens diplomatic ties, but also "reinforces Canada's respect for the people of Greenland, respect for your democracy, your sovereignty, and your right to shape your own future."

Seeking closer engagement with Greenlanders and a stronger presence in the Arctic, France and Canada each inaugurated a consulate in Nuuk on Friday. While a permanent location is still being finalized, France has become the first European Union country to establish a diplomatic mission in the autonomous Danish territory, the French Foreign Ministry announced.

Anand framed Canada's consulate as the cornerstone of a new strategic phase, but one built on a non-negotiable foundation. "Canada stands firmly behind Greenland's right to self-determination," she said, describing the mission as a "clear choice to be present, to listen, and to work side by side with Greenland," so that the Arctic's future is "shaped by those who live here, strengthened by partnership, and most of all, guided by respect."

"Arctic governance must be shaped by Arctic states in partnership with Arctic and Northern Indigenous peoples," Anand added. That principle was physically embodied by a planeload of Inuit from Canada who arrived on Thursday, specifically to show solidarity with Greenlandic Inuit amid U.S. threats to take over Greenland, according to local media.

At the reception, this cross-border kinship was visible, as many attendees wore traditional sealskin clothing and accessories -- a powerful statement of living culture and identity.

Natan Obed, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the national Inuit organization for some 65,000 Inuit in Canada, gave voice to the deep unease felt across Inuit communities. He said he "can't even imagine what it is like to read about yourselves in the papers in such ways that are disrespectful" to Inuit self-determination, human rights and territorial autonomy.

He placed the moment within the long Inuit journey of surviving colonization -- a process that "takes hard work, diplomacy and time." Now, the urgent task is to confront future challenges "with the most possible collaboration and partnership with Inuit," while finding "allies in a new way across the globe."

Obed also pointed to a shifting world order, warning that "we may not live in a time much longer where we can count on the United Nations or NATO or other mechanisms that we have worked on for 50-plus years."

Yet he balanced that with strategic optimism: "We know that there are dozens, if not hundreds, of countries all over the world that would be in solidarity with us at this moment." The new Canadian and French consulates in Nuuk offered a concrete expression of that international solidarity.

Obed reached deep into Inuit tradition to conclude: "You see those hills? My footprints are all over those hills."

"Our way of life should be celebrated -- it is the foundation of sovereignty for our people and the nation states we have built together," he added.