Australia Was Honest With France About Submarines - Defense Minister

Umer Jamshaid Published September 19, 2021 | 03:10 PM

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th September, 2021) Australia has been open with France about prioritizing its national interests amid the changing circumstances in the region, even if it meant breaking the bilateral deal on French submarines, Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton said on Sunday.

On Friday, Paris recalled its ambassador from Canberra, as well as from Washington, after Australia chose to quit a $66 billion submarine contract with France to instead obtain nuclear-powered submarines within a trilateral partnership with the United Kingdom and the United States (AUKUS).

"We've been upfront, open and honest... Public remarks are there for all to see, there are comments to estimates. The French were so concerned that they sent out an admiral to meet with us a couple of weeks ago. The prime minister has been upfront and respects very much the relationship with President Macron," Dutton told Sky news Australia.

The minister noted that he, too, engaged in conversations with his French counterpart, Florence Parly, over Australia's concerns with regard to the submarine deal.

"We've been open about the fact that we need to act in our national interest and given the changing circumstances in the Indo-Pacific, not just now, but over the coming years, we had to make a decision that was in our national interest," Dutton said.

Before leaving Canberra on Saturday, French ambassador Jean-Pierre Thebault pointed to fact that Australia never refuted the reports suggesting that AUKUS had been in the making for 18 months and France was kept in the dark about its intention to terminate the bilateral contract on submarines. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian described it as a "stab in the back."

Earlier on Sunday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that his country decided to break the 2016 contract with France because it had "deep and grave" concerns about the capabilities of the French diesel-powered combat submarines of Barracuda class.