France has recalled it’s ambassadors to the United States of America and Australia. After the Afghanistan incident, this is another global political development in the world. The reason for France's anger is the U.S. submarine pact with Australia. France has accused allies of lying over a security pact that saw the Australian government scrap a contract to buy French submarines in favour of US vessels. Submarine agreement between France and Australia stands cancelled. France foreign affairs minister made a statement that France has recalled US and Australia ambassadors to Paris on September 17th. By this, France lost a $90 billion submarine pact with Australia when it was signed in 2016.
It is the first time an ambassador to France has ever been recalled from the United States in the history of the alliance between the two countries. French officials have accused Australia, the US and the UK of behaving in an underhand, duplicitous manner that has betrayed and humiliated France. The UK says that France’s move puts a big rift in the NATO alliance. France blamed Australia for not informing them about the new pact with France which felt that the nation was utterly humiliated by Australia, UK and US. Paris has called the cancellation a stab in the back. Why did Australia ditch the French submarine pact and switch over to the US and UK? Australia seems to believe that the French nuclear powered option is inferior to the US and UK. Australia defended its scrapping of a deal for French submarines.
The pact means Australia will become just the seventh nation in the world to operate nuclear-powered submarines. The reason for the trilateral pact is China which controlled a major part of the South China Sea. China’s involvement in the South China Sea is a major security concern for NATO and Australia. The new trilateral pact has exposed the US President Biden in dealing diplomatic relations with it’s allies. The Aukus agreement - which also includes the UK - will see Australia being given the technology to build nuclear-powered submarines as a way of countering China's influence in the contested South China Sea. France didn’t recall it’s ambassador to the UK which was like a third wheel of the pact.
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