The Norwegian Government has decided to strengthen Norway’s presence by establishing a Consulate General headed by a Consul General posted from Norway.

‘The High North remains Norway’s most important strategic priority, and the Arctic is becoming increasingly important for international politics and security. Greenland is a close partner for Norway, and a Consulate General in Nuuk will strengthen both political contact and cooperation on shared interests in the region,’ said Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

‘A Consulate General in Nuuk will give us closer contact with the Greenlandic authorities, the business community and civil society. It will strengthen cooperation in areas where Norway and Greenland already share strong interests, such as fisheries, maritime affairs and Indigenous peoples’ issues. It will also give us better opportunities to develop new areas of cooperation in the years ahead,’ said Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide.

Talks with Greenland and Denmark

Eide has informed Greenland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Business and Trade Múte B. Egede and Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs Lars Løkke Rasmussen about the decision.

‘The decision has been very well received in Greenland and Denmark. Canada, France, Iceland, the US and the EU have representatives posted in Nuuk. It is therefore natural that Norway should be present in Nuuk too,’ said Eide.

A Consulate General is formally subordinate to the ambassador at a Norwegian embassy. Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and the Consulate General in Nuuk will come under the Norwegian Embassy in Copenhagen.

Norway has had an honorary consulate general in Nuuk since 1986. Unlike a consulate general, an honorary consulate general is run by a local representative who is not a posted diplomat.

Facts about the Norwegian Foreign Service

  • The Norwegian Foreign Service has approximately 1,400 employees.
  • At any given time, just over 600 of them work at Norway’s 90 foreign service missions, together with around 1,100 locally employed staff.
  • Around 120 of the staff posted to foreign service missions come from other ministries and agencies.