French President Emmanuel Macron accused Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison of lying over the termination of a contract to build French submarines for Canberra.

"I don't think, I know that," Macron said when asked by Australian journalist Beaven Shields on the sidelines of the G20 summit if the Australian prime minister had lied.

Macron also answered the question if he can now trust Morrison.

"Let's see what he (Australian Prime Minister.

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) does," said the French leader.

"I just want to say: when you respect someone, you must be sincere and behave in accordance with this value."

I ask French President Emmanuel Macron whether Scott Morrison lied to him: “I don't think, I know.”

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- Bevan Shields (@BevanShields) October 31, 2021

In turn, Morrison told reporters that he had not deceived Macron and told him back in June that French submarines would not be able to meet the needs of the Australian side.

Recall that France's relations with Australia, as well as with the United States and Great Britain, worsened after these three Anglo-Saxon countries announced the creation of the AUKUS defense partnership on September 15, and Washington promised Canberra to transfer technology to build its own nuclear submarines.

Against this background, the Australian side announced its decision to terminate the contract for the supply of 12 French Attack class attack submarines.

Paris considered this step a betrayal on the part of its allies, calling it a "stab in the back."

After negotiations

It is worth noting that Macron's accusation against the Australian prime minister came after the French leader's meeting with Joe Biden last week.

Then the head of the White House said that Washington behaved "awkwardly" in relation to Paris when forming the AUKUS defense partnership.

“I think that in the current situation we acted, shall we say, awkwardly.

Not very elegant, ”Biden said.

According to the American leader, he "had the impression that France had been notified of the breakdown of the agreement long ago."

“I swear I didn’t know it wasn’t so,” he stressed.

The head of the White House also noted that France is an "extremely valuable" partner for the United States and "a strong power in itself."

“We have accomplished too much together, sharing our troubles and joys and sharing common values, for something to ruin our relationship,” Biden said.

Macron, in turn, noted that now it is very important to make sure that something like that, as in the situation around AUKUS and submarines, "certainly could not happen again in the future."

After the meeting with the American leader, the French President stressed that Paris and Washington are in the process of restoring confidence.

“We are now restoring trust.

In the matter of trust, as in love: statements are good, but evidence is better, ”the BFM TV channel quoted him as saying.

In addition to negotiations with the United States, France also discussed the situation around AUKUS and submarines with the UK and Australia.

On October 28, Macron had a telephone conversation with Morrison for the first time since Canberra's refusal of a contract with Paris for the supply of submarines.

The French leader stressed that the unilateral decision of the Australian side to abandon the deal in favor of another project undermined the relationship of trust between the two countries.

According to Macron, Australia should propose concrete actions to renegotiate bilateral contacts.

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Later, following the G20 summit in Rome, Macron said at a press conference that he had discussed the situation around AUKUS with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

As the French leader noted, he told Johnson that London's behavior regarding the formation of a new defense partnership between the three Anglo-Saxon countries was not the behavior of an ally.

Waiting for compensation

According to Vladimir Olenchenko, senior researcher at the Center for European Studies, IMEMO RAN, Macron's attack on Morrison suggests that the negotiations between France and the United States, Australia and Great Britain, as well as the "curtsey of the head of the White House" to Paris, could not smooth over the situation around AUKUS ...

“Although there were high-level contacts between Paris and Washington, Canberra and London over the defense alliance and submarines, and there was also Biden's desire to neutralize the conflict, it still continues.

This is evidenced by recent statements by Macron and the Australian prime minister.

But the French leader's thesis about lies was addressed not only to Australia, but also to the United States and Great Britain, ”the expert said in an interview with RT.

Olenchenko believes that with his rather harsh rhetoric, Macron wants to show his Anglo-Saxon partners that, “despite their equivocations towards Paris,” the French side remains unconvinced and intends to defend it.

“France continues to believe that the creation of AUKUS, which led to the cancellation of the order for submarines, is sheer deception and betrayal.

And Macron on the sidelines of the G20 summit even more openly dotted the i's, specifying his position, ”the analyst said.

A similar opinion was expressed in the RT commentary by Sergei Fedorov, a leading researcher at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

According to him, the French president wants to show that his country will not allow her to be treated with disdain, ignoring her interests.  

“After all, in fact, the three Anglo-Saxon states insolently did not reckon with Paris.

And this was extremely unpleasant and even offensive for the French side, since we are talking about NATO allies.

Macron is now showing that his republic is an equal player along with the USA, Australia and Great Britain in the international arena, ”he said.

Olenchenko explained that the publicity of the statements made by Macron to Australian journalists suggests that Paris expects Canberra to apologize and compensate for the damage caused.

“France expects the same from the United States and Great Britain, which played an important role in this.

In addition, through such hints, Macron seeks to strengthen his authority both domestically and in the international arena, showing that he will not simply take into account the position of the Anglo-Saxon countries and expects concrete steps from them to restore confidence in bilateral contacts, "the expert said. ...

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As Fedorov explained, Paris may hope to participate in the tender for the purchase of weapons for Australia.

“The Australians said they plan to spend significant funds on the purchase of military equipment.

It is possible that the French will be helped to win this race, so that they forget the troubles around the cancellation of the contract for the acquisition of French submarines by Canberra.

However, this still will not cover the losses that Paris will incur due to the cancellation of the deal, ”the analyst said.

However, Washington, Canberra and London in any case would like to "release the brakes" on this conflict, Olenchenko said.

According to the expert, the new defense partnership of the Anglo-Saxon countries and the termination of the contract with France for the supply of submarines to Australia for a long time will be a stumbling block between the allies and evidence that there is no consolidated West.

“Now it has become obvious even for those who were still able to maintain faith in the unity of Western countries: Washington and its closest associates will always choose their own interests, not the interests of partners,” concluded Olenchenko.