The head of French diplomacy does not take offense after cancellation of the submarine contract which linked Paris and Sydney. “There really is a serious crisis” enter here France, l’Australia and the United States, said the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian, who was the guest of 8 p.m. on France 2, Saturday September 18.
Read also: Submarine affairs: why not recall the ambassador from London?
“There was a lie”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs justified the recall of French ambassadors to the United States and Australia, citing the exceptional gravity of the announcement of the strategic partnership between Washington, London and Canberra. This measure is also the first in the history of relations between Paris and Washington.
“There has been a lie, there has been duplicity, there has been a major breach of trust, there has been contempt, so things are not right between us, things are not right at all, that means that there is a crisis “, said Jean-Yves Le Drian.
“There is a symbolic aspect. We remind our ambassadors to try to understand, at the same time to show our countries, former partners, that we have very strong discontent, that there is a serious crisis between us and it is also a way to reassess our position. to defend our interests in Australia and the United States ”, he added.
Great Britain: “the fifth wheel of the carriage”
The recall of the French ambassador to London was, however, deemed unnecessary: “We know their permanent opportunism”, he quipped a few months after Brexit. “Great Britain in this affair is all the same a bit like the fifth wheel of the coach.”
The United States, Australia and the United Kingdom announced Wednesday a strategic partnership to counter China, AUKUS, including the supply of American nuclear-powered submarines to Canberra which effectively took the French out of the game. France had signed in 2016 a contract of 90 billion Australian dollars (56 billion euros) for the supply to Australia of 12 submarines with diesel propulsion, often described as “Century contract” because of its scale and strategic reach.
Read also: Submarine affair. What if the torpedo was English?
The crisis will weigh on the future of NATO
The Minister of Foreign Affairs also ruled that the crisis would weigh heavily on the definition of NATO’s new strategic concept, without however evoking any exit from the Atlantic alliance.
“NATO has initiated a reflection, at the request of the President of the Republic, on its fundamentals. At the next NATO summit in Madrid, there will be the culmination of the new strategic concept. Obviously, what just happened will have to do with this definition ”, commented Jean-Yves Le Drian.
“But at the same time, Europe must equip itself with its strategic compass and this will be the responsibility of France in the first half of 2022”, he added, referring to the French presidency of the European Union on January 1.
After the brutal withdrawal of the Americans from Afghanistan, without consultation with its allies, and this issue of submarines, “If Europeans do not feel that in order to remain in history, they must unite and together defend their own interests, then their destiny will be totally different”, hammered Jean-Yves Le Drian.
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