France has decided to send Philippe Etienne, its ambassador to the United States (US), back to Washington next week after French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the AUKUS dispute with his US counterpart Joe Biden in a phone call on Wednesday.
Hours before the meeting, the Élysée Palace informed that the discussion, held at Biden’s request, was to get “clarifications on the American choice to keep a European ally away from structuring exchanges on cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.”
In a joint statement after the meeting, the White House and the Élysée Palace said, “President Emmanuel Macron has decided that the French ambassador will return to Washington next week. He will then start intensive work with senior US officials.” “Both heads of state have decided to open a process of in-depth consultations, aimed at creating the conditions for ensuring confidence,” the statement added.
The statement mentioned that “Biden and Macron will meet in Europe at the end of October to reach shared understandings and maintain momentum in this process.” The leaders also agreed that “the situation would have benefitted from open consultations among allies on matters of strategic interest to France and our European partners.”
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden had conceded that there “could have been greater consultation on the security pact with Australia.”
Meanwhile, no decision regarding the return of the French ambassador to Canberra has been taken yet. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he tried to reach his French counterpart without success. “Our door is wide open, our invitation is there, we understand the hurt and the disappointment, and we’ll be patient, and we look forward to working with old friends again,” Morrison said.
In an unprecedented move on Friday, France recalled its ambassadors to the US and Australia for consultations in response to the two countries’ new trilateral security partnership, AUKUS, with the United Kingdom (UK). The military collaboration would allow Australia to build nuclear-powered submarines with the technology shared by the UK and the US to counter Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific region. However, for this alliance, Australia abandoned its 2016 multi-billion submarines deal with France.
France called this move “a stab in the back” and accused the US of blindsiding Europe and Australia for not revealing its true intentions. Moreover, France urged the European Union (EU) to reconsider its trade deal with Australia, citing a breach of trust between allies. The EU has agreed to put the dispute at the top of the bloc’s political agenda, including next month’s summit.
Despite the recent developments, Australia and the US hoped for future engagements with France. However, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson mocked France for its anger over the trilateral partnership on Wednesday. He said, “I think it’s time for some of our dearest friends around the world to prenez un grip [get a grip] about all this. Donnez-Moi un break [Give me a break] because this is fundamentally a great step forward for global security.”
After cancelling meetings with British and Australian officials, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian will meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in New York on Thursday.
France to Send Back Ambassador to US After Macron’s Talks With Biden
After recalling ambassadors from the United States and Australia last week, France decided to send its ambassador back to Washington after discussing the AUKUS dispute with US President Joe Biden.
September 23, 2021
SOURCE: DAILY SABAH