Elysee Palace Official Denies Canceling Macron's Meeting With Swiss Counterpart

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th September, 2021) An official in the French Presidency refuted on Sunday the reports suggesting that President Emmanuel Macron has canceled his meeting with Swiss President Guy Parmelin because of Switzerland having preferred to buy US-made F-35 fighter jets rather than the French-made Rafale.

Swiss daily Le Matin Dimanche reported earlier in the day, citing diplomatic sources, that Macron was angered by the fact that Switzerland had continued to negotiate the purchase with Rafale maker Dassault despite having reached a deal with Lockheed Martin for F-35s.

"It has never been canceled and even less for the reasons mentioned," the official told the Franceinfo broadcaster.

What Macron's office has told their Swiss counterparts is that arranging the meeting in November, as scheduled, would be difficult and that the exact days has not yet been picked, the official added.

Earlier this week, Paris recalled its ambassador from Canberra and Washington after Australia gave up on a $66 billion defense deal with France to enter a new trilateral strategic partnership with the United Kingdom and the United States (AUKUS). Instead of 12 diesel-powered French combat submarines, Canberra will now acquire the technology from London and Washington to build its own nuclear-powered submarines.

The French government has accused Australia of keeping it in the dark for more than a year about its intention to break the 2016 contract. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian described Australia's withdrawal from the deal as a "stab in the back."