MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
On his way to the G7 summit in Canada, the president of France made a stop in Greenland to offer his support. Emmanuel Macron's visit to the semi-autonomous Arctic territory follows Donald Trump's renewed threats to acquire it. From the capital Nuuk, Adrienne Murray reports.
ADRIENNE MURRAY, BYLINE: The French president's jet touched down to rain and thick fog.
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MURRAY: Emmanuel Macron said the trip was meant to show solidarity from France and Europe.
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PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON: The situation in Greenland is clearly a wake-up call for all the Europeans. And let me tell you very directly that you are not alone. Everybody think, in France, in the European Union, that Greenland is not to be sold, not to be taken.
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MURRAY: Macron met with the prime minister of Denmark and that of Greenland, a meeting meant as a message for U.S. President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly said he wants to take over the strategically important and mineral-rich Arctic territory. Until Trump's election, Greenland's government was keen to boost business and trade with the U.S. Now, the focus is on rekindling friendships in Europe. Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen says Greenlanders were grateful for Macron's support.
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PRIME MINISTER JENS-FREDERIK NIELSEN: It's a strange time for us in Greenland. We live on some democratic principle, build it up for many, many, many years - respect for international law, respect for borders, respect for law of the sea. And we are glad you could stand with us to state that those principles are very, very important.
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MURRAY: Macron drew crowds as he visited the capital and its 20,000 mostly Inuit inhabitants, shaking hands and posing for selfies. Nanna Frederiksen was one of them.
NANNA FREDERIKSEN: I think it's nice. It's nice that he come and show support for Greenland. The world is very uncertain right now, so it's nice to see that we have some allies.
MURRAY: As he boarded his plane to the G7, Macron said he would tell Trump that Europe was ready to work with the U.S. to ensure Greenland's security and economic development.
For NPR, I'm Adrienne Murray in Nuuk. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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