The French head of state held talks with the Australian prime minister for the first time since the outbreak of the so-called submarine situation in September. “From now on, the Australian government needs to take concrete steps to signal Canberra’s intention to restore bilateral relations and take joint actions in the Indo-Pacific region,” said Emmanuel Macron.
The diplomatic crisis between the two countries erupted when, in mid-September, the United States, Australia, Britain and France signed a security partnership agreement called AUKUS, without prior notice. In this context, Australia decided to buy nuclear-powered submarines from the United States, while it terminated its contract with France for the production of diesel and electric-powered submarines. As a result, France did not reach a contract worth 56 billion dollars. Paris recalled its ambassador to Canberra, who later returned to his post after several consultations with US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
During the phone conversation, Emmanuel Macron told Scott Morrison that the termination of the submarine program marked the end of the relationship of trust between the two countries.
The phone call took place before the French and US presidents hold talks in Rome at the weekend summit of the leaders of the Group of Twenty of the world’s major economies. This will be followed by the United Nations climate conference in Glasgow, which will also be attended by the Australian Prime Minister.
