It is clear that French President Emmanuel Macron has yet to recover from the secret AUKUS agreement between the US, UK and Australia. This was made clear last weekend at the G-20 summit in Rome, by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison Untruthful to label. Macron felt stabbed in the back after the failed deal on nuclear submarines.
It is clear that the secret action by the Australians continues to anger the French president. I have great respect for your country and your people. But if I respect you, I expect truth and some decency from you,” Macron told the Australian prime minister.
In his response, Morrison said that he did not lie to the French president, and that he had already informed the deal that the deal between the two countries would not take place. Australian Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce also called on France to set the record straight: “We didn’t steal an island, we didn’t spoil the Eiffel Tower, it was just a contract. Contracts have terms and conditions, and they said we could pull out of the contract.” So it seems that both countries are currently unable to go through the same door.
blow up deal
The situation was completely different in recent years. As early as 2009, the Australian government announced that it would build new submarines to strengthen the country’s position in the Southeast Asian region. After years of pressure and delays, it was announced in 2016 that a French design, Shortfin Barracuda of shipbuilder Naval Group, had won the contract. The deal became the most expensive Australian military investment ever, with a value of about 50 billion euros, according to the Treasury. At the end of August, there was no cloud in the sky: the Australian and French Ministers of Defense and Foreign Affairs together expressed their confidence in the project: the twelve submarines had to come and come.
This relates to the one fact in the agreement that still stands: Submarines are coming. But unfortunately for Macron there is no French. On September 16, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that he would cancel the deal with France: the AUKUS Agreement, an agreement between Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom, went into effect instead. Macron was not informed of this.
France had expectations of 8 billion euros and 4,000 new jobs: everything was drilled through Macron’s nose.
Angrily, the French leader decided to recall his ambassadors from the United States and Australia; France has never summoned its ambassadors. Several French ministers spoke negatively about Australia: they accused the country of not respecting the Convention for their country. The French Minister of State for European Affairs accused the British of becoming vassals of the United States: “We have recalled our ambassadors from Canberra and Washington. With London, we see no need for this: we know their constant opportunism, and we do not need our ambassador to explain it to us.”
AUKUS Charter
The new agreement between the three English-speaking countries was christened the AUKUS Charter. This determined that Australia could use American and British submarine technology to develop a new class of its own. This will be powered by highly enriched uranium: the French Barracuda class worked on low-enriched uranium, which means the boats must be serviced every ten years. With highly enriched uranium, this is not necessary, and because Australia does not have a nuclear capability (nuclear energy is prohibited in Australia for non-military purposes) the choice was obvious.
In addition to submarines, the intelligence services of different countries will cooperate more closely. For example, more is being invested in electronic technology, artificial intelligence and quantum technology. The US and UK are also helping Australia develop new long-range missiles. Although not mentioned by name, the agreement is clearly intended to help contain Chinese expansion.
(Javed)
