After a week of tensions around Australian submarines, Emmanuel Macron and Joe Biden spoke on the phone Thursday to defuse the diplomatic crisis.
The French and American presidents have promised to restore confidence between Paris and Washington.
To discover
Presidential 2022: where are the candidates in the polls?
Read alsoSubmarine crisis: the president of Naval Group breaks the silence
Despite this, the relationship between the two allies remains damaged.
In an interview with
Le Monde
, the Minister of the Armed Forces welcomed the resumption of “
dialogue
” but regrets the “
very brutal”
behavior
of the United States.
"
It is not a surprise, it has been several years since we have noticed this fundamental trend on the part of the American partner"
, she introduces.
Lower reliability
According to her, these difficulties have manifested themselves several times in recent years: when the Americans failed the French to participate in strikes against chemical weapons in 2013 or when they disengaged in Afghanistan.
“
The other underlying trend, which is not new, is the United States' focus on China.
In this strategic analysis, Europe counts less and less.
It is an observation ”
, she regrets, welcoming however that France is less surprised than“
certain European partners for whom the awakening is more brutal ”
.
Read alsoAustralian submarines: were there "warning signs" of breach of contract?
According to Florence Parly, this episode proves that "
American reliability is not as great as in the past
". Europe must therefore project itself well beyond the limits of the European Union, believes the Minister of the Armed Forces. “
Europe has a unique opportunity to assert itself as a strategic power. We have the choice: either Europe faces up, or Europe disappears, ”she
explains.
Moreover, if she notes the "
weakness of political dialogue
" in NATO, Florence Parly recalls that France has "no intention" to leave it.
“
I also persist in thinking that Europeans also have their voice to be heard.
When they mobilize for their security, they help to make the Atlantic Alliance credible
, ”she states, however.
