Posted on Sep 24, 2021 at 7:23 amUpdated Sep 24, 2021 9:04 AM
Going from words to deeds will be the only way for the Americans to resume a calm dialogue with France. This was recalled by Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Thursday after his meeting with his counterpart, Antony Blinken. The two men spoke the day after a telephone interview between Emmanuel Macron and Joe Biden. The minister “recalled that a first step had been taken during the call of the two presidents but noted that the way out of the crisis between our two countries would take time and would require action”, underlines a press release from the ministry.
The meeting, which took place at the premises of the French diplomatic mission to the UN in New York, lasted about an hour, away from microphones and cameras. Jean-Yves Le Drian and Antony Blinken spoke of “the modalities and the main subjects of the process of in-depth consultations between the two countries aimed at restoring confidence”, undermined by the crisis of the Australian submarines, notes the ministry.
In the wake of this interview, Antony Blinken promised a change, while admitting that the road will be long. “We recognize that it will take time and a lot of work. […] This will result not only in declarations, but also in actions ”, he assured. “I am convinced that our common interests are so strong and our values so deep that we will succeed in moving forward and carrying out our efforts,” he added.
A “very brutal” behavior
For a week now, France has been very critical of the American ally. Jean-Yves Le Drian has repeatedly denounced methods of another age between allies, within NATO as well as in the Indo-Pacific, and demanded more respect for European interests.
A position relayed this Friday by the Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, in an interview with the newspaper “Le Monde”. “The behavior of the United States has been very brutal, especially from an ally, who is moreover considering us as ‘their oldest ally'”, she laments, adding that this attitude towards France and Europe is “not a surprise”. “We are perhaps less surprised than certain European partners for whom the awakening is more brutal, but the American reliability is not as great any more than in the past”, she launches.
“Determine together where the interests” of Europeans lie
The diplomatic crisis between the two countries is the most serious since the French “no” to the Iraq war in 2003. Anxious to restore “a return to normal”, Joe Biden sketched a mea culpa during his interview with his counterpart French, ensuring that European defense had its place in “transatlantic security” and a role to play in the Indo-Pacific region to counter Chinese ambitions.
A sign of appeasement, Emmanuel Macron and Joe Biden have planned to meet at the end of October in Europe, where the American president is expected at the G20 summit in Rome on the 30th and 31st. The inaugural meeting of the new Council for Trade and Technology between the United States and the European Union will also take place as planned next week, the executive said in Brussels on Thursday. In the meantime, Jean-Yves Le Drian has agreed to maintain “close contact” with Antony Blinken.
But the head of French diplomacy reminds us: all this is only a “first step”. For Florence Parly, this crisis must first and foremost allow Europeans to “determine together where their interests lie. They now understood that they had to be able to defend them wherever they are, also projecting themselves well beyond the limits of the European Union. […] Europe has a unique opportunity to assert itself as a power at the strategic level ”, she reminds the“ World ”.
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