![]() ![]() The French defence minister, Florence Parly, called Australia’s about-face “very bad news with regards to keeping one’s word”, adding that France is “clear-eyed as to how the United States treats its allies”. We have contracts – the Australians need to tell us how they intend to get out of them,” he added. “We had been discussing that with the United States just recently, and here comes this break,” Le Drian said, calling it “a huge breach of trust”. Le Drian said France and its allies had been working on a “coherent and structured Indo-Pacific policy” in the face of Beijing’s growing regional might. France is the only European country with a presence in the region, with nearly 2 million French citizens and more than 7,000 troops. The move by the US, UK and Australia underscores increasing concerns about China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region, where France is also looking to protect its interests, which include the overseas territories of New Caledonia and French Polynesia. He added: “This unilateral, sudden and unforeseeable decision very much recalls what Mr Trump would do,” referring to the previous US president who exasperated Europe with unpredictable decision-making.Īsked by journalists if Paris had been “duped” by Washington over what Le Drian once called a “contract of the century” for France’s naval yards, the minister replied: “Your analysis of the situation is more or less correct.” this is not something allies do to each other.” Le Drian said: “I’m very angry today, and bitter. It is setback for the French president, Emmanuel Macron, not just in financial terms but also to French diplomacy, which had worked for years to secure the partnership with Australia and strengthen its strategic presence in the Indo-Pacific region.Ī French official said discussions on the matter had taken place today between France and Australia, and France and the US on a ministerial level. The announcement of a US, UK and Australia defence pact brought an abrupt and unexpected end to France’s A$90bn (£48bn) submarine contract with Australia, which was signed in 2016. ![]() “We weren’t included, we weren’t part and parcel of this.” “We regret not having been informed – not having been part of these talks,” Borrell said. I think it would have been worked on for quite a while.” “As high representative for security, I was not aware and I assume that an agreement of such a nature wasn’t just brought together overnight. “This alliance we have only just been made aware and we weren’t even consulted,” he said. The EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, Josep Borrell, also expressed his disappointment, revealing that he only learned of the new alliance through the media. ![]()
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