“At the request of the President of the Republic, I decided to immediately call our two ambassadors to the United States and Australia to Paris for consultations,” said French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.
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“This exceptional decision justifies the exceptionally serious announcement made by Australia and the United States,” Le Drian added.
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According to AFP, this is the first time in history that Paris has taken this step in the case of these two countries, which are among the traditional French allies.
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The United States, Britain and Australia announced on Wednesday that they were establishing a security partnership to ensure peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
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Among other things, the pact is to help Australia acquire US nuclear-powered submarines. Australia therefore canceled an agreement to purchase French conventional submarines worth $ 40 billion (850 billion crowns).
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According to the head of French diplomacy, the cancellation of the contract by Australia is “unacceptable behavior between partners and allies”.
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Already on Thursday, France sharply criticized the United States for its new cooperation with Australia, Le Drian called the decision “brutal” and “stabbing in the back”.
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He says much more than the current US President Joe Biden, he says, similar to the actions of his predecessor Donald Trump.
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On Thursday, French officials canceled ceremonies at their embassy in Washington and aboard the French frigate in Baltimore, which were to commemorate today the help of their navy to the American struggle for independence in 1781.
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