French President Emmanuel Macron stressed during a visit to the Saint-Pierre and Miquelon archipelago in the North Atlantic that the territory remains French. His remarks came after Donald Trump posted a map showing the region covered by the colors of the US flag.
“It is obvious. There is no debate,” Macron said after arriving in Saint-Pierre on September 19.
The French president emphasized that the archipelago is part of France, adding that Paris was not going to reaffirm this every morning simply because “people have strange ideas or say strange things.”
Macron’s two-day visit to the archipelago, located about 4,300 kilometers from Paris, carries a significant geopolitical dimension. On September 20, he is expected to host Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney there. It will be the first such visit by a Canadian prime minister in the territory’s history. The islands lie just off the coast of Canada.
Macron described the upcoming meeting as “a strong message.” The visit comes amid disputes over the Arctic and Greenland. Trump recently reached a security agreement with Denmark concerning Greenland. Macron said he welcomed the fact that Danish sovereignty and international law were being respected, but declined to say whether the deal meant the US president had abandoned his previous ambitions regarding the island.
Energy will be another topic in talks with Canada. With oil prices rising amid the war in the Middle East, France is seeking alternative sources of supply. Macron has called, in particular, for more Canadian liquefied natural gas to be shipped across the Atlantic to Europe.
During the visit, the French president is also expected to announce measures concerning Saint-Pierre and Miquelon itself, which has a population of around 5,800. The territory faces a declining population, a high cost of living, the long-term consequences of the collapse of the cod fishing industry and climate-related threats.
Authorities are working on relocating part of the Miquelon settlement because of rising sea levels, modernizing the port of Saint-Pierre and strengthening the military presence in the archipelago.
France also aims to develop space and digital infrastructure there. The islands already host a ground station for Europe’s Galileo satellite navigation system, while French companies are preparing new projects. The archipelago also hopes to be included on the route of a future undersea cable linking Brittany with New York.
According to Macron, these investments are intended to underscore the strategic importance of the French territory in the North Atlantic.
