Conflict escalates between France and Australia: Submarine deal carries NATO

French Foreign Minister Le Trianon raises serious allegations: Establishing a new security alliance between the United States, Australia and Great Britain is a tough test for NATO.

France believes the dispute over the failed submarine deal with Australia will weaken relations within NATO. “You must also question the strength of the alliance with the United States,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Trian told France 2 on Saturday evening.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian speaks at a press conference (archive image). He sees the future of NATO in jeopardy after the collapse of the arms deal with Australia. (Source: Jens Schlueter / dpa)

“In a real alliance you talk to each other and respect each other. It’s not like that.” The burden is on NATO’s new strategic vision. Le Drian talked about “lies” and “breach of trust”. “It doesn’t work, which means there’s a crisis.”

“The government had these concerns”

Australia, on the other hand, denies the false accusation. Defense Minister Peter Dutton told Sky News Australia on Sunday that the Australian government had expressed its concern about the planned acquisition of Paris “openly and honestly”. The project was several years behind schedule and the budget was exceeded.

“The government had these concerns and we raised them. We want to work very closely with the French and we will continue to do so in the future,” he said.

The United States, England And Australia has previously announced a new defense alliance for the Indo-Pacific, with Australia breaking a multi-billion dollar submarine deal.

Paris Angered: This is the first time in the history of US-French relations that Paris has removed its ambassador. Washington Calling back. Such action is considered very unusual among allies.

Austin: There’s still a lot to do

The French reaction provoked outrage in Washington. “We are sorry to hear that you did this,” said a White House spokesman. “In the future, we will continue to work to overcome our differences, as we have done at other times in our long partnership.”

Foreign Office spokesman Netflix expressed his understanding of the outrage in Paris and said the UN Security Council meeting in New York next week would not be enough. France is the most important and “our oldest partner”.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby acknowledged that phone calls between Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and his French colleague Florence Barley “have a lot more to do with our security relationship with France.”

The agreement with France was canceled

Commenting on the dispute with France, Australian Foreign Minister Maurice Payne said, “The most difficult issues are now being resolved.” Australia will continue to work “creatively and closely” with France.

In view of China’s expansion efforts in the economically important Indo-Pacific region of Washington. London And Canberra Announced their new alliance on Wednesday. Among other things, it helps Australia benefit from American technology and knowledge of cybersecurity in the construction of nuclear-powered submarines. The United States also wants to expand its military presence in Australia.

Le Drian: Australia stabs France in the back

Shortly after the deal was announced, Canberra canceled its multi-billion dollar submarine deal with France. The deal to supply the French submarines, powered by twelve diesel, was worth 31 31 billion when it was signed in 2016 – the “deal of the century” was talked about. In Paris, after the deal was finalized, it was said that Australia’s credibility was now in question.

France sees itself as a major power in the Indo-Pacific due to foreign territories such as New Caledonia and French Polynesia. Foreign Minister Le Trian accused the government of “stabbing” Paris in Canberra. President of the United States Joe BidenThere is competition with China Following in the footsteps of his predecessor, he announced a “brutal” decision Donald Trump – “America first” – met.

On Saturday, Le Trian again spoke about “unacceptable behavior between partners and associates.” Hope for a revival of US-French relations after Trump’s term may have been dashed by now.

China: Coalition “very irresponsible”

China has long pursued a radical strategy in the Indo-Pacific region, which has worried neighbors. It is about regional claims in the South China Sea. Since 2018, conflicts in trade relations Peking And Canberra deteriorated steadily. China described the new Indo-Pacific agreement of the three Western states as “very irresponsible”. This will disrupt regional peace and stability.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said that China has every right to make decisions in the national interest for its own protection – “that certainly applies to Australia and all other countries.”