France has decided to send its ambassador back to Australia to ease tensions over the AUKUS dispute and redefine their bilateral relationship.
Announcing the decision on Wednesday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said, “I have now asked our ambassador to return to Canberra with two missions: to help redefine the terms of our relationship with Australia in the future and defend our interests in the concrete implementation of the Australian decision to end the programme for future submarines.”
Le Drian acknowledged that France had thoroughly reviewed its bilateral relationship with Australia, as the cancelled submarine deal with Australia was part of its comprehensive Indo-Pacific strategy. He also reaffirmed France’s determination to stay engaged in the Indo-Pacific.
In response, on Thursday, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said the return of the French Ambassador to Canberra would help repair relations between the two countries. In a statement, Payne said, “We will work with France to move forward with our relationship. We recognise this will take time and ongoing engagement following our submarine decision. The return of the ambassador is a welcome step in this process.”
Last month, France recalled its ambassador to Australia, Jean-Pierre Thebault, to retaliate against the AUKUS military partnership between the United States (US), the United Kingdom, and Australia. The partnership allows Australia to build nuclear-powered submarines with the technology shared by the US and the UK, and aims to counter China’s growing influence and military build-up in the Indo-Pacific.
However, for this partnership, Australia abandoned its 2016 multibillion-dollar submarine deal with France. French officials said they felt betrayed because Australia didn’t reveal its true intentions despite launching negotiations for the deal 18 months earlier. Retaliating to what they perceived as a “stab in the back,” the Macron administration recalled France’s ambassador to Australia.
At the same time, France recalled its ambassador from Washington and accused the US of blindsiding Europe. However, after talks with US President Joe Biden around two weeks ago, Macron decided to send French ambassador Philippe Etienne back to Washington. The US has accepted that it “handled the situation poorly” and proceeded to make amends with France. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is visiting Paris to repair the transatlantic partnership. Additionally, French President Emmanuel Macron will meet Biden at the G20 Summit in Rome later this month.
France to Send Ambassador Back to Australia as AUKUS Tensions Ease
On Wednesday, France announced its decision to send its ambassador Jean-Pierre Thebault back to Australia to redefine bilateral relations and ease tensions over the AUKUS dispute.
October 7, 2021
SOURCE: DAILY ADVENT