France has cancelled meetings with the United Kingdom (UK) and Australia scheduled for this week, intensifying the diplomatic row over a submarine deal.
On Monday, French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly called off the bilateral meeting with her British counterpart, Ben Wallace, to protest against the new trilateral military partnership, AUKUS, between the United States (US), Australia, and the UK. However, Peter Ricketts, a former British national security adviser, confirmed that the meeting “has been postponed and not cancelled.”
Tensions began after Australia abandoned a multi-billion dollar submarine deal with France for the military alliance. AUKUS now allows Australia to build nuclear-powered submarines with the technology shared by the US and the UK to counter China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
On the same day, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, during a United Nations meeting in New York, urged the European Union (EU) to reconsider its trade deal with Australia, citing a breach of trust between allies. He also expressed regret for being excluded from Washington’s Asia Pacific strategy and said, “French-American alliance means transparency, explanation, talking to each other. All of that requires clarification today.”
Earlier, Le Drian called the new military partnership a “stab in the back” and refused to schedule any bilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. “I will have the opportunity to meet him in the corridors,” he said.
France’s European affairs secretary, Clément Beaune, told Politico that “Europe could hardly continue talks for a free-trade agreement after such a breach of trust.” “Keeping one’s word is the condition of trust between democracies and between allies. So it is unthinkable to move forward on trade negotiations as if nothing had happened with a country in which we no longer trust,” he added.
On the contrary, French Ambassador to Australia Jean-Pierre Thebault denied any media reports stating that France is lobbying against a trade deal between the EU and Australia. Thebault said, “At this stage, negotiations do continue, and there is a strong interest...for Australia to have a free trade agreement with the EU. Such a deal has the potential to deliver a huge amount of benefits for Australia.”
Meanwhile, Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism, and Investment Dan Tehan has confirmed his travel plans to Paris in the coming weeks for trade negotiations and expressed interest in holding discussions with his French counterpart, Franck Riester.
On Friday, France recalled its ambassadors from Australia and the US for consultations and cancelled an event at the French embassy in Washington, DC. The countries expressed regret over France’s decision and hoped for future engagements. Additionally, US President Joe Biden requested a phone call with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, to resolve the dispute.
In an attempt to defuse tensions, Australia and Britain have reiterated that the recent developments won’t affect their long term relations with France. Australia’s acting Prime Minister, Barnaby Joyce, said, “Australia doesn’t need to prove their resolute desire to look after the liberty and the freedom and the equality of France.”
At the same time, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged Macron not to worry over the AUKUS deal and claimed relations with the European nation remain friendly, despite diplomatic turmoil.
AUKUS Diplomatic Row Deepens as France Cancels Meetings With UK, Australia
The diplomatic row over the AUKUS military partnership deepens as France cancelled meetings scheduled for this week with Australia and the United Kingdom.
September 21, 2021
SOURCE: EURONEWS