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The French Foreign Minister said that after Canberra abandoned its defense agreement with Paris and turned to alliances with the United Kingdom and the United States, France will send its ambassador back to Australia to help redefine relations.
France has Accuses its ally of stabbing it in the back When Australia chose to build nuclear-powered submarines using American and British technology instead of France’s multi-billion dollar submarine program.
But although France has Trying to mend the gap with Washington, It has frozen ties with Australia.
“I have now asked our ambassador to return to Canberra with two missions to help redefine the terms of our future relationship with Australia… and to defend our interests when Australia decides to terminate the plan in the future,” Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said at a parliamentary hearing on Wednesday.
France once regarded the partnership with Australia since 2016 as the cornerstone of its Indo-Pacific policy, and French officials said that Canberra betrayed them in particular. They said that although Canberra had initiated the conversion plan 18 months ago, they did not give them any signs.
Le Drian said that since the submarine deal is part of this broader strategy, Paris has reviewed its bilateral relationship with Australia in its entirety. “Restarting our bilateral relationship will not affect our determination to continue participating in Pacific affairs,” he said.
Australia expressed regret over the ambassador’s recall, and attached importance to relations with France, and hoped to continue to engage with Paris on issues including the Indo-Pacific.
Diplomats said that the crisis of confidence requires Canberra to take some strong actions, which will benefit France’s interests in the region.
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