French President Emmanuel Macron has said he is open to revisiting a submarine cooperation agreement with Australia following disputes sparked by Canberra’s decision to suspend a multibillion-dollar deal to purchase French submersibles.
Speaking at a press conference in Bangkok, reported by Bloomberg, the French president said that the joint construction with Australia or the purchase of French submarines «is still on the table», although he admitted that there has been no indication from the Australian government.
During the G20 summit held these days in Bali, Indonesia, Macron had the opportunity to meet with the Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, with whom he would have discussed the issue of submarines.
In mid-September 2021, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States reached an agreement which, among other points, authorized the access of the oceanic country to technology for the development of French submarines, leaving aside the agreement that Canberra had with Paris for this purpose.
At the time, France called the decision of the then Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison «regrettable», and said it was like «a dagger in the back» as it broke the «agreement of the century» that France and Australia had reached.
Since May, Macron and the new Australian prime minister have been trying to rebuild their countries’ relations, although France is still mindful of former Prime Minister Morrison’s «breach of trust».
Macron and Albanese have therefore called for the repair of their relations based on «trust and respect» in order to overcome in partnership «global challenges», especially in terms of climate and strategy in the Indo-Pacific.
