France recalls its ambassador to the US in protest of Biden's submarine deal with Australia [View all]
Source: NY Times
France announced on Friday that it is immediately recalling its ambassador to the United States, Philippe tienne, in protest of President Biden's announcement of an agreement to provide nuclear-powered submarines to Australia without consulting French officials.
In a statement, the French foreign minister said the decision was made by French President Emmanuel Macron.
"At the request of the President of the Republic, I have decided to immediately recall our two ambassadors to the United States and Australia to Paris for consultations," Jean-Yves Le Drian, the foreign minister said. "This exceptional decision is justified by the exceptional gravity of the announcements made on 15 September by Australia and the United States.
In the statement announcing that the ambassador, Philippe tienne, would return temporarily to Paris -- a severe diplomatic step that is usually used against adversaries -- Mr. Le Drian made it clear that his country sees the actions of the two nations as a serious breach of trust. He said the U.S.-Australia partnership constitutes "unacceptable behavior between allies and partners, the consequences of which affect the very conception we have of our alliances, our partnerships and the importance of the Indo-Pacific for Europe.”
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/17/us/politics/france-ambassador-recall-us-australia.html
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