In the heated submarine dispute, there are signs of relaxation in the relationship between France and the USA, but not with Australia.
The government in Paris called on the European partners on Thursday (23 September) to do more to achieve strategic independence from the United States, but President Emmanuel Macron and US President Joe Biden had come closer again beforehand. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Macron gave him the cold shoulder.
Macron and Biden had agreed “in-depth consultations” between their governments in a telephone conversation. France also wants to send its ambassador back to Washington in the coming week.
However, there have been no announcements to date that the French ambassador will also be sent back to Canberra. Australia’s prime minister said he had tried to call Macron but it had “not yet” taken place. “We will show patience, we understand your disappointment,” he said, referring to the broken submarine deal between the two countries.
The USA, Great Britain and Australia announced an Indo-Pacific alliance last week, which also includes the joint construction of nuclear submarines for Australia. Because Australia then broke a long-planned, multi-billion dollar submarine deal with France, Paris is extremely angry.
“Australia has decided to withdraw from a very important arms deal,” said Morrison. It is “understandable that France is disappointed because of this”. “I think it will take longer to resolve these issues than between the US and France.”
Biden had tried to smooth things over in the phone call he had asked for with Macron on Wednesday. According to a joint statement, he pledged “continued engagement” in matters of strategic interest and stressed the “strategic importance” of France and the EU in the Indo-Pacific.
The US President also praised Macron’s idea of a stronger European defense system, “which makes a positive contribution to transatlantic and global security and complements NATO”. He also announced that the US would expand its support for anti-terrorism operations by European countries in the Sahel region. Details were not given in the joint declaration.
France’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Bruno Le Maire, insisted on the consequences: “The first lesson from this episode is that the European Union must expand its strategic independence.” Europe must “open its eyes” and finally recognize that it no longer has to deal with questions of its own security can count on the US, he said.
The EU had backed France in the submarine dispute. Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) also described the actions of the USA and Australia as “irritating” and “sobering”. It is now important to relax the situation: The irritations have to be “removed from the world.”
The French submarine builder Naval Group has meanwhile announced that it will send Australia an invoice “in a few weeks” because of the failed deal. The payment of costs already incurred and costs still to be incurred is provided for in the contract. According to the French Ministry of Defense, Australia had already made several payments for work done.
France is “not worried” about its defense industry, said government spokesman Gabriel Attal. The failed submarine deal triggered a political and diplomatic crisis, but not a trade and industrial crisis.
–
