Insta
AUKUS
Angered over announcement by United States of an agreement to sell nuclear-powered submarines to Australia that will scrap an existing $90 billion French contract, France on Friday (Sep 17) said that it has recalled its ambassadors to Washington and Canberra.
U.S Britain and Australia recently unveiled a new trilateral security pact, named AUKUS, under which U.S will supply Australia with nuclear submarines to be deployed in the Pacific region. The deal incurred the wrath of Paris as it scraps an existing French contract with Australia for conventional submarines.
In 2016, Australia had signed a contract to buy 12 Attack-class submarines from the French shipbuilder Naval Group worth nearly $ 90 billion.
The new trilateral security deal is widely viewed as a strategic moved towards curtailing China, which has recently mounted multiple manoeuvres in the Pacific region, especially in and around the South China Sea, where it has expansive territorial claims.
French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the decision was made by French President Emmanuel Macron. Drian had called the deal a “stab in the back”.
The French minister also said that his country was not going to let the Australians get away with ditching the contract, which can be expected to lead to some job losses as well.
"At the request of the President of the Republic, I have decided to immediately recall our two ambassadors to the United States and Australia to Paris for consultations,” the foreign minister said. “This exceptional decision is justified by the exceptional gravity of the announcements made on 15 September by Australia and the United States.”
Australia's Foreign Minister Marise Payne said the decision to scrap the $90 billion submarine project with France in favour of a new alliance with the US and UK to build nuclear powered subs at home was due to national security.
'Australia understands France's deep disappointment with our decision, which was taken in accordance with our clear and communicated national security interests,' she said.
'Australia values its relationship with France, which is an important partner and a vital contributor to stability, particularly in the Indo-Pacific. This will not change.' she added
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.
Latest