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French President Emmanuel Macron told Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in a phone interview that the cancellation of the order for twelve submarines “broke the relationship of trust” between the two countries, the Elysee Palace said in a statement on Thursday.
Emmanuel Macron held talks with Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Thursday, October 28 for the first time since the crisis caused by the announcement in mid-September of a new alliance between the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom, Who torpedoed a French submarine megacandract that passed with Canberra, According to Élysée.
The French head of state stressed that “it is now up to the Australian government to propose concrete measures that include the desire of the highest Australian authorities to redefine the foundations of our bilateral relationship and pursue joint action in the Indo-Pacific,” the president said.
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Paris had expressed anger after Australia’s abrupt decision to stop without warning a deal to buy twelve French submarines with a regular push for a value of 90 billion Australian dollars (55 billion euros).
Since then, Emmanuel Macron has had no direct contact with Scott Morrison during an exchange with US President Joe Biden and British prime minister Boris Johnson, both of which were criticised by Paris after the announcement of the Ageas alliance between the three countries.
Australian decision has “broken the relationship of trust between our two countries”
During the telephone exchange, Emmanuel Macron recalled that” Australia’s unilateral decision to reduce the French-Australian Strategic Partnership by ending the oceanic-class submarine program in favor of another as yet unspecified plan broke the relationship of trust between our two countries, ” the Elysee Palace said.
“Huge attention will be paid to the situation of French companies affected by this decision and their subcontractors, including Australians,” the statement added.
The exchange took place ahead of a meeting scheduled for Friday between Emmanuel Macron and Joe Biden in Rome before the start of the G20 summit, followed by cop26 in Glasgow, in which Scott Morrison will take part.
During the discussion, the French president “encouraged the Australian prime minister to take ambitious steps to address the Climate Challenge, including improving participation determined at the national level, a commitment to stop coal production and consumption at home and abroad, and strengthening Australian support for the International Solar Alliance,” the Elysee Palace said.
With AFP