The office of the French presidency said in a statement issued Thursday that French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone with the new Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, and congratulated him on his election. The 59-year-old Labor leader was sworn in as prime minister on Monday.
After acknowledging that trust was badly damaged by former Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s decision to terminate the submarine contract, the French and Australian Prime Ministers agreed to rebuild bilateral relations on the basis of trust and respect to jointly address global challenges, particularly the climate emergency and strategic challenges in the Indian Ocean.
The Elysee Palace said.
According to the communication, a “road map” for building a new bilateral relationship will be drawn up. Last October, France accused its allies of “stabbing in the back” when Australia decided to buy nuclear-powered submarines between the US and Britain in place of France’s €50 billion submarine programme. France recalled its ambassador accredited to the United States and Australia.
In early April, Australian authorities acknowledged that Canberra would have to pay fines of up to A$5.5 billion to France in exchange for terminating the contract.
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