Submarine crisis: for Emmanuel Macron, “Europeans must get out of naivety”

Published on : 09/28/2021 – 11:35

The Aukus alliance, which led to a serious crisis following the cancellation of a contract for submarines (at 55 billion euros) which were to be delivered by France to Australia, “does not change in no way the strategy “of Paris in the Indo-Pacific, said Tuesday, September 28 Emmanuel Macron.

This strategy was “announced in early 2018 in India, we have several partners in the region” and “France is a power regardless of any contract, since we have a million compatriots living in this region and more than 8,000 soldiers who are deployed there “, declared the French president during a press conference with the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

“The Europeans must come out of naivety” by “drawing the consequences” of the new strategic choices of the United States, turned towards their rivalry with China, also declared Emmanuel Macron.

“When we are under the effect of pressure from powers that sometimes harden, reacting, showing that we also have the power and the ability to defend ourselves is not giving in to escalation, it is simply making us respect “, he hammered during this press conference.

>> To read and see: Submarine crisis: Josep Borrell hails “a big step” towards a stronger European defense

The French ambassador returns to Washington on Wednesday

The statements come after more than a week of tensions in US-French relations.

Australia’s sudden decision to cancel a contract with France to acquire 12 French submarines – and instead enter into a strategic partnership with the United States and Britain – angered Paris . France through its Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian denounced a “blow in the back” and recalled last week its ambassadors in Washington and Canberra.

The French ambassador in Washington, recalled for consultations after the submarine crisis, will return to the United States on Wednesday with a clear mandate to establish the conditions for a re-engagement between the two countries, Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday.

The way out of the crisis between France and the United States will take “time” and demand “acts”, the head of French diplomacy Jean-Yves Le Drian and his American counterpart Antony Blinken said in unison on Thursday. after an interview in New York.

>> To read: In the case of the submarines, France pays a policy “too soft” vis-a-vis China

With AFP and Reuters