The United States and Australia said they regretted France's decision to recall its ambassadors in Washington and Canberra against the backdrop of Australia canceling a submarine deal with France, which Paris described as a stab in the back, and the US administration said it was in contact with French officials to resolve the dispute.

The White House stated that the United States regrets France's decision to recall its ambassador from Washington, Philippe Etienne, and added that Washington will continue to work in the coming days with Paris to resolve differences between the two countries.

US National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horn said that Washington is in close contact with its French partners regarding the decision to recall the ambassador to Paris for consultations, and Horn added - in a statement - that the United States understands France's position and will continue to engage with it in the coming days to resolve their differences, as they did on issues other over the course of their long alliance.

And US Defense Department spokesman John Kirby said that senior officials in the administration of President Joe Biden were in contact with their French counterparts about the submarine deal that Washington made with Australia, and Kirby indicated in a press conference that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke to his French counterpart, Florence. Barley - on Friday - on the partnership between Washington and Paris.

Australia announced last Wednesday that it would cancel a $40 billion deal with France to build a fleet of conventional submarines, and would instead build at least 8 nuclear-powered submarines with American and British technology, after concluding a tripartite security partnership between London, Washington and Canberra.


Ongoing contacts

The US State Department said Washington would continue to discuss the dispute with France, including at the United Nations General Assembly next week.

US State Department spokesman Ned Price added that France "is a vital partner and oldest ally, and we place the highest value on our relationship."

In Australia, the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Canberra recorded with regret Paris' decision to recall its ambassador to Australia, and the spokesman added that his country "values ​​its relationship with France... and we look forward to engaging with France again on many common issues, and on the basis of common values."

Yesterday, Australian Foreign Minister Maris Payne expressed her country's understanding of France's disappointment after the decision to abandon the purchase of submarines from it, adding that her country would continue to work "constructively and closely with our colleagues in France."

stab in the back

The French Foreign Ministry had said earlier on Friday that it had been decided - at the request of the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron - to immediately summon the ambassadors of France to America and Australia for consultation, against the background of the "Aukus" initiative between America, Britain and Australia, which Paris considered a "stab in the back". ".

The statement condemned the abandonment of the submarine deal concluded by Australia and France since 2016, and said that the announcement of a new partnership with the United States is unacceptable behavior and its consequences will affect France's concept of its alliances and partnerships, and the importance of the Indo-Pacific region for Europe.

I am being recalled to Paris for consultations.

This follows announcements directly affecting the vision we have of our alliances, of our partnerships and of the importance of the Indo-Pacific for Europe.

https://t.co/ue2V1NUTpN

— Philippe Etienne (@Ph_Etienne) September 17, 2021

Before the decision to summon the two ambassadors, the French authorities canceled a party that was scheduled to be held on Friday in Washington to commemorate the anniversary of a decisive naval battle during the American Revolution, in which France played a major role.

The French Foreign Ministry described abandoning the submarine project that linked Australia with France since 2016 as unacceptable behavior between allies, while Australia rejected French criticism, and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Friday that he raised the possibility that his country would cancel a submarine deal concluded in 2016 with a French company in talks With French President Emmanuel Macron in June, he dismissed French criticism that it had not received warnings.

Australia's decision comes within a security partnership announced with the United States and the United Kingdom last Wednesday, and the partnership includes the Indo-Pacific region.

Yesterday, Paris expressed its inability to trust Australia in the ongoing talks on a trade deal with the European Union.