Greenland: Emmanuel Macron appointed Jean-Noël Poirier “consul general of France in Nuuk”

France will be well represented in Greenland. In a decree published this Wednesday, February 4 in the Official Journal, the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron appointed Jean-Noël Poirier “consul general of France in Nuuk”, capital of the autonomous Danish territory coveted by Donald Trump.

The Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs published a job offer for this position at the end of January. And it is therefore Jean-Noël Poirier who will ensure “a mission of influence and outreach” and who will be in charge of “emergency consular action with regard to French nationals”.

According to ministry data, the huge island has six French citizens out of around 55,000 Greenlandic citizens.

“Prefigurator” of the French mission in Greenland

“Experienced civil servant” according to the Quai d’Orsay, Jean-Noël Poirier was notably French ambassador to Vietnam between 2012 and 2016. From his years spent in Asia, he made a documentary film on the capital of Vietnam, My Hanoiproduced in 2017.

After several activities in the private sector, Jean-Noël Poirier took up a position within the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs from February to September 2025 as a diplomat on a reinforcement mission to Tripoli, the capital of Libya.

Since then, he has been head of the French delegation to the United Nations General Assembly, we can read on his LinkedIn account.

His name surfaced during a press briefing in mid-January, when the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that he was the “forerunner” of the French mission in Greenland. In other words, that he was responsible for setting up the consulate in Nuuk.

“Deepening our presence in all dimensions”

The French diplomatic presence in the Danish autonomous territory was announced by Emmanuel Macron in June 2025. In mid-January 2026, it was confirmed by Jean-Noël Barrot that the consulate would open on February 6. “It is first of all to mark our desire to deepen our presence in all dimensions, on the territory of the Kingdom of Denmark”, justified the minister.

Because the autonomous Danish territory is coveted by American President Donald Trump, who has said he wants to annex the territory. During the World Economic Forum in Davos, the White House tenant then clarified that he was renouncing the use of force, announcing a draft agreement with NATO.

The threats from the Republican billionaire have caused one of the most serious crises in the history of the Atlantic Alliance since its creation in 1949.

In addition to France, Canada has also announced that it will open a consulate in Nuuk “in the coming weeks,” said Foreign Minister Anita Anand in early January. For its part, Washington has had a consulate in the Greenlandic capital since June 10, 2020.