In a sharp rebuke to President Joe Biden's sudden decision to strike a nuclear submarine deal with Australia, which would have ended a French contract, the French President Emmanuel Macron recalled Macron.
Jean-Yves Le Drian, French Foreign Minister, stated Friday that I recall to Paris, at the request of President of the Republic, our Ambassadors to the United States of America and Australia for consultations. The extraordinary gravity of the announcements made by Australia and the United States on September 15th is justification for this exceptional decision.
This is a striking demonstration of the confusion in U.S.-French relations that has been evident in the diplomatic recall. Macron gave Biden the much-desired affirmation during the G-7 meeting in July as he sat beside the U.S. president. "Yeah definitely," he said when Biden asked the reporter "Is America back?" The question was posed to Macron by the French leader days before Scott Morrison, the Australian Prime Minister, visited Paris.
You are at the forefront, both of the tensions and threats in the region as well as intimidation. In a direct message to China, Macron said that Macron would stand by his side. France is committed to maintaining the balance in the Indo-Pacific and we value the partnership with Australia as a key component of this Indo-Pacific strategy.
'INDISSOLUBLE BOONDS': NUCLEAR SUBMARIINE DEAL FORTIFIIES U.S. AUSTRALIA SECURITIES AGAINST ECONOMIC PRESSURES FROM CHINA
Morrison claims he made it clear during the dinner that Australia may soon stop plans to buy diesel-powered submarines from France. Morrison's team had leaked that he was seeking a way out of the deal months ago, but Washington and Canberra did not notify Paris until this week.
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He said that I had made it clear that Australia would have to decide on this matter in its national interest.
Australian and U.S. officials made it a point of complimenting the French during the celebrations for the new nuclear submarine deal.
"I have very important relations across... with Jean-Yves Le Drian and my counterpart. We were both defense ministers together. Now we are foreign ministers together. As Australia's Foreign Minister Marisa Paayne stated Friday afternoon at American Enterprise Institute. I can understand their disappointment. These are difficult issues to deal with, and we will continue to work constructively and closely together with French colleagues on these matters.
This rhetoric has not helped to lessen the bitterness of the discourtesy. Le Drian didn't mention Friday the United Kingdom, as it plays a crucial role in the new agreement. Macron's team is furious at the American claim-jumping on the submarine contract, and the American decision to exclude an European ally or partner like France from any structuring partnership with Australia. This was stated earlier this week by Florence Parly, the French foreign minister and minister of the armed forces.
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Le Drian stated that the abandonment of the submarine-class ocean-class project Australia and France had been working together on since 2016, and the announcement of a new partnership between the United States and Australia aimed at exploring the possibility of future cooperation in nuclear-powered submarines are unacceptable actions among allies and partners. These consequences have a negative impact on the concept of alliances and partnerships as well as the importance of the Indo-Pacific to Europe.
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Tags: News. Foreign Policy. National Security. France. Joe Biden. Emmanuel Macron. Australia.
Original Author: Joel Gehrke
Original Location: France recalls Washington's ambassador 'without delay' while Macron rages at Biden
