The meeting was “postponed to a later date,” said the co-chair of the Franco-British Council, Peter Ricketts, as the BBC and the Guardian newspaper reported on Monday. Parly was to travel to London as part of a meeting of the organization, and high-ranking military officials were also to take part in the deliberations of the two largest military powers in Western Europe.
As part of a three-way pact with the United States and Great Britain, Australia had agreed to build nuclear-powered submarines and canceled a € 56 billion contract with France from 2016.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tried to calm France down. London and Paris have a “very friendly relationship” that is “of the utmost importance,” he said on the flight to the UN General Assembly in New York. “Our love for France is indelible.” The deal shouldn’t exclude anyone.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday that he did not regret having canceled the deal with Paris. “It is understandable that in this case the other party involved in this contract is hurt and disappointed. I understand that,” he said. However, Australian interests prevailed. He had “deep and serious concerns” that the French submarines were not sufficient “to protect our sovereign interests,” said Morrison.
Out of anger over the tripartite pact and the failure of its own billion-dollar deal, France had called its ambassadors from the USA and Australia home for consultations. Paris also made it clear that it sees the actions of Washington and London as a burden on NATO and a challenge to the EU.
