US-France Talks In Past 24 Hours 'Very Positive, Productive' - Blinken

The discussions the US delegation had in Paris with their French colleagues were positive and productive, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said of the confidence-building measures on Wednesday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th October, 2021) The discussions the US delegation had in Paris with their French colleagues were positive and productive, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said of the confidence-building measures on Wednesday.

The US delegation headed by Blinken is visiting Paris this week to discuss confidence-building measures in the wake of the recent Australia-United Kingdom-United States (AUKUS) submarine deal that caused a significant strain in relations with France.

"The conversations we had in the last 24 hours were very positive, very productive and reflect a lot of work that is in progress, the work that was tasked by president (Joe) Biden and (French) President (Emmanuel) Macron," Blinken said during a press conference.

On Tuesday, Macron and Blinken met in Paris for the first time after the crisis in bilateral relations in light of Australia's withdrawal from the $66 billion submarine deal with France due to joining the AUKUS partnership in mid-September and the decision to be supplied with US nuclear-powered submarines.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian described the decision as a "stab in the back" and said the trust between the allies was severely undermined.