The French government has announced a decision to recall its ambassadors from the United States and Australia for consultations due to the loss of a $ 40 billion military submarine contract.
Kyiv. Ukraine. Ukraine Gate – September 18, 2021 – Diplomatic Affairs
It is noted that the country’s Foreign Ministry said that the “exceptional decision” was made through agreements between the United States, Australia, and Britain within the AUKUS defense alliance.
On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden, British and Australian Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Scott Morrison announced the alliance, saying the arrangements “are widely seen as an attempt to counter China’s influence in the South China Sea”.
In turn, France was informed about the alliance just hours before its public announcement, the newspaper writes.
Late Friday night, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the ambassadors had been recalled at the request of President Emmanuel Macron.
“The agreement is unacceptable behavior between allies and partners, the consequences of which directly affect our vision of our alliances, our partnerships, and the importance of the Indo-Pacific region for Europe,” Le Drian said.
At the same time, a White House spokesman said the Biden administration regretted the move and would work with France in the coming days to resolve their differences, the paper added.
On September 17, amid disagreements over a new security agreement between the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom, the French embassy canceled a reception in Washington on the anniversary of the decisive naval battle in the American Revolutionary War.
Earlier, the United States, Britain, and Australia agreed on a partnership in defense and security – AUKUS, under which Australia will receive from allies technology to build nuclear submarines and become the seventh country in the world to have such a fleet. Following the announcement of an alliance with the United States and Britain, Australia terminated an already signed contract with France to supply it with French submarines with a conventional engine.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian condemned Australia’s decision to build nuclear submarines in cooperation with the United States and Britain. Criticism of France is related to the contract of the French company Naval Group to supply Australia with 12 submarines worth, according to some estimates, almost 56 billion euros. The submarine treaty was called the “agreement of the century.”
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Source: Ukrgate
