Stupor gave way to cold anger. France decided, Friday, September 17, to recall for consultations its ambassadors in Washington and Canberra, forty-eight hours after the announcement of the strategic partnership – says Aukus – between the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom , oriented against China. A shattering gesture, but above all symbolic, which serves to formalize the feeling of betrayal experienced by Paris, after the termination of the contract for the delivery of twelve conventionally powered submarines to Australia.
The form, humiliating, and the substance of the Aukus affair combine to explain the French motivation, poorly understood on the other side of the Atlantic. On Friday, the political director of the Quai d’Orsay, Philippe Errera, received the American charge d’affaires and the Australian ambassador to notify them of the recall of the two French diplomats, Philippe Etienne in Washington and Jean-Pierre Thébault in Canberra.
In a once again martial statement, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian, justified this “Exceptional decision” over there “Exceptional severity” of the week’s events. “The abandonment of the ocean-class submarine project that has linked Australia to France since 2016 and the announcement of a new partnership with the United States aimed at launching studies on a possible future cooperation on sub -Nuclear-powered sailors constitute unacceptable behavior between allies and partners, the consequences of which affect our very conception of our alliances, our partnerships and the importance of the Indo-Pacific for Europe ”, specifies the head of French diplomacy.
Emmanuel Macron wants to mark the occasion
The press release may have been sent by the Quai d’Orsay, the order came from the Elysee. The situation was judged sufficiently « grave » for Emmanuel Macron to react. “Beyond the issue of breach of contract and its consequences, particularly in terms of jobs, there is what this decision says about the alliance strategy. [Un tel comportement] is unacceptable between allies ”, we emphasize at the Elysee. At this point, the head of state has not made any public comment or spoken to US President Joe Biden. But he wants to mark the occasion.
On two occasions already, Emmanuel Macron has demanded the recall of French ambassadors for consultation: in February 2019, the diplomatic crisis had affected Italy. France at the time denounced a “Unacceptable provocation” after a meeting, in Montargis (Loiret), between representatives of the “yellow vests” and the vice-president of the Italian council and political leader of the 5-star movement (anti-system) Luigi Di Maio, then allied to La Ligue (far right) of Matteo Salvini. This meeting was also followed by “Outrageous statements”, according to Paris.
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