French President Emmanuel Macron has reminded US leader Donald Trump that the archipelago of Saint Pierre and Miquelon is French territory after the American politician published a map depicting the islands as United States territory.
Speaking in response to the graphic shared by Trump, Macron stated that Saint Pierre and Miquelon belong to France and described the matter as obvious, according to French news outlet 20 Minutes.
The French president noted that he did not intend to repeat the clarification constantly. However, Macron added that he regarded the statements made by the American leader as a strong signal.
Map posted on social media
The response followed an image posted by Trump on 7 September on the social media network Truth Social. The map published by the American leader depicted Canada, Greenland, and Iceland, alongside several other territories and the French archipelago of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, coloured in the pattern of the US flag.
Saint Pierre and Miquelon is a self-governing overseas collectivity of France located in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, situated roughly 25 kilometres south of the Canadian island of Newfoundland. The archipelago covers eight islands, with Saint Pierre and Miquelon serving as the main inhabited centres. As an integral territory of France, the islands' inhabitants are full French citizens who participate in French national elections and use the euro as official currency.
Territories shown in American graphic
The graphic published online included several sovereign and autonomous jurisdictions depicted under American colours. Greenland is an autonomous territory belonging to the Kingdom of Denmark located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, while Iceland is an independent Nordic island republic. Canada is a sovereign North American nation sharing an extensive international land border with the United States.
Truth Social is an American social media platform launched in 2022 by Trump Media and Technology Group. The news publication 20 Minutes, which reported the response by Macron, is a major national daily newspaper and online news service based in France.
