The head of French diplomacy Jean-Yves Le Drian spoke on Saturday of the “
serious crisis
” caused by the torpedoing of a mega-contract of French submarines in Canberra, denouncing a “
lie (...), a duplicity (.. .), a major breach of confidence
”and“
contempt
”on the part of France's allies.
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Asked about France 2, Jean-Yves Le Drian thus justified the recall of the French ambassadors in Canberra and Washington by the fact that "
there is a serious crisis between us
".
The recall of the French ambassador to London was, however, deemed unnecessary: "
we know their permanent opportunism
", he quipped a few months after Brexit.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs also ruled that "
what has just happened
" would weigh on the definition of NATO's new strategic concept, without however evoking any exit from the Atlantic alliance.
