French President Emmanuel Macron and the new Australian Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese are meeting Friday July 1 in Paris to repair bilateral relations seriously damaged by the cancellation by Canberra of a gigantic contract to purchase 12 French submarines.
The talks at the Élysée Palace, which will take place from 1:15 p.m. (11:15 a.m. GMT), are the first official meeting between the two leaders since the inauguration of Anthony Albanese at the end of May.
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Relations between the two countries had been at their lowest since the cancellation in the fall by Canberra of a gigantic contract of 56 billion euros, relating to twelve submarines, in favor of nuclear-powered vessels as part of the partnership the so-called AUKUS agreement with the United States.
In September 2021, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison suddenly ended the French contract in preparation for ten years, arousing the ire of Paris.
President Emmanuel Macron then accused the Australian Prime Minister of deception.
Macron and Albanese spoke on the phone in May after the change of government in Australia following the legislative elections and exchanged this week on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Madrid.
“We are going to recommit things.
First of all, there is a prime minister there whose agenda is much more consistent with France's agenda"
, the French president underlined on Thursday during a press conference at this summit, citing the fight against climate change and the attitude towards Chinese ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region.
"I approach this exchange with great optimism and determination because Australia is a great partner and the situation inherited from past bad ways was not a good situation"
,
"Reset" of relationships
"I expect a lot from my visit to Paris"
, assured Wednesday Anthony Albanese, who declared himself in favor of a
"reset"
of relations with France, both
"at the center of power in Europe"
and
"essential power" .
in the Pacific"
.
Australia's new prime minister on June 11 announced a €555 million compensation deal with French submarine maker Naval Group for canceled submarines.
In total, the failure of the French submarine contract will have cost Australian taxpayers $2.4 billion, according to Anthony Albanese.
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Scott Morrison's predecessor, Malcolm Turnbull, called the visit a
"great opportunity"
to seal a reconciliation between the two countries, saying a key step would be
"to re-engage at a very constructive level"
after months of rift.
"We are facing real challenges from China in the Pacific
," he said during a meeting with journalists this week organized by the Institut Montaigne in Paris.
"We, like France, are committed to a free and open Indo-Pacific
," continued Malsolm Turnbull, citing concerns expressed by the United States, Australia and France over the "security framework agreement". , between China and the Solomon Islands announced in April.
Canberra and Washington fear that China will manage to build a naval base in the South Pacific that would allow it to project its maritime power far beyond its borders.