The dispute over submarines continues to escalate – the ambassador of France talks about a “new unprecedented decline”

The dispute over submarines between France and Australia escalated once again. On Wednesday, the French ambassador to Canberra, Jean-Pierre Thibault, spoke of an “unprecedented new decline” in the relationship between the two countries, especially in terms of truth and trust. The diplomat at the National Press Club said French President Emmanuel Macron had been lied to, and that “the deception was done on purpose”. “The way everything was handled was a stab in the back.”

Australia, the United States and Great Britain announced a new joint security alliance in the Indo-Pacific region in mid-September without consulting their allies. In this context, Australia will be given access to US technology to build and operate nuclear submarines. A multi-billion dollar submarine deal between France and Australia has failed. Paris reacted with fury, and bilateral relations between France and the Allies were in crisis. Thebault was initially recalled to Paris, but has now returned to Australia.

“That’s not how you act”

Macron had publicly accused Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison of lying a few days ago. When asked if he thought Morrison lied to him, the French head of state said: “I don’t think so. I know it is.” Morrison denied the allegations. He was always communicating clearly about it.

A new problem surfaced on Tuesday when Australian media published a leaked text message Macron had written to Morrison on the subject. “This is not your behavior when it comes to the personal exchange between two senior politicians,” Thibault explained.

sda / nlu

Posted today at 10:37 am

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