FRANCE DUMPS AUSTRALIA AS ‘STRATEGIC PARTNER’ OVER UK-US DEAL

Wed 23 February 2022:

As part of its new Indo-Pacific strategy, France has removed Australia from its list of close “strategic partners.”

This follows a diplomatic spat that erupted in September when the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia unveiled a new defense agreement.

According to the agreement (Aukus), the US and UK will assist Australia in the deployment of nuclear-powered submarines in the Pacific region; nevertheless, France has claimed that Australia has “stabbed it in the back.”

The agreement was made at a cost to France, as UK Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced plans to cancel a $90 billion deal with France to buy submarines.

In the most recent development, the government of French President Emmanuel Macron released a document outlining the country’s new Indo-Pacific Strategy, which has undergone substantial changes.

The European nation stated in the revised plan that it will now cooperate with Australia on a “case-by-case basis.”

The French government explains, “Australia’s decision in September 2021, without prior consultation or warning, to break off the partnership of trust with France that included the Future Submarine Programme (FSP), has led to a re‐evaluation of the past strategic partnership [between] the two countries.”

“France will pursue bilateral cooperation with Australia on a case‐by‐case basis, according to its national interests and those of regional partners,” it said.

“France intends to maintain close relations with the United States, an ally and major player in the Indo‐Pacific, and to strengthen coordination, including on issues raised by the announcement of the Aukus agreement,” it added.

Earlier this month, Australia said its bid to acquire nuclear-powered submarines was making “significant progress”, as US and British experts travelled to Australia to advise on the project.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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