Australia says it 'understands France's deep disappointment' after it recalled its ambassador from Down Under and the United States over a new military pact between the two nations and Great Britain.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves LeDrian announced the move to recall its ambassadors to Australia, Jean-Pierre Thebault, and the US, Philippe Etienne, on Friday night saying it came in a request from French President Emmanuel Macron.
He cited the 'exceptional seriousness of the announcements' – which caught France off guard and resulted in the cancelation of multi-billion dollar contracts for Australia to build and purchase French diesel submarines for its defense.
Australia's Foreign Minister Marise Payne said the decision to scrap the $90 billion submarine project with France in favour of a new alliance with the US and UK to build nuclear powered subs at home was due to national security.
'Australia understands France's deep disappointment with our decision, which was taken in accordance with our clear and communicated national security interests,' she said.
'Australia values its relationship with France, which is an important partner and a vital contributor to stability, particularly in the Indo-Pacific. This will not change.'
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves LeDrain announced the move to recall ambassador Philippe Etienne Friday night, saying it came in a request from French President Emmanuel Macron (pictured)
Mr LeDrian called the nixing of the $90 billion sub contract 'unacceptable behavior.'
He said in a statement: '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.'
'This exceptional decision is justified by the exceptional gravity of the announcements made on 15 September by Australia and the United States.'
He called the nixing of the $90 billion sub contract 'unacceptable behavior.'
The move, reported by the Associated Press, comes amid a huge backlash in France over the move.
A French diplomatic source also lashed out at Britain, telling Reuters: 'The UK accompanied this operation opportunistically. We do not need to consult in Paris with our ambassador to know what to think and what conclusions to draw from it.'
A top French diplomat told the AP Macron got a letter from Australian PM Scott Morrison announcing the sub deal's cancellation on Wednesday morning. The French reached out to Washington 'to ask what was going on,' but the resulting discussions occurred just hours before Biden announced the deal in a video conference with the two key allies.
French Ambassador to the US Philippe Etienne has been recalled amid a diplomatic row over a new US-UK-Australia alliance
Le Drain on Thursday called the move a 'stab in the back.'
'We built a relationship of trust with Australia, and this trust was betrayed. This is not done between allies.'
The U.S. during regular diplomatic events with French diplomats points to France's essential support for the U.S. during the American Revolution, and numerous US presidents have taken part in annual commemorations of the Normandy invasion that attest to the close historical bonds between the two nations.
The stunning diplomatic slap comes a day after France made a lesser statement by nixing a planned gala at its luxurious embassy in Washington that was meant to celebrate the U.S.-French relationship, while also ditching another event in Baltimore.
The embassy gala was to mark the 240th anniversary of the Battle of the Capes, when the French Navy fought the Royal Navy of Britain during the Revolutionary War.
It all came at the end of a week where President Joe Biden announced a new agreement between the US, the UK, and Australia, in a move meant to counter China and bolster security in the Indo-Pacific region.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian (l) described President Biden's deal as a 'unilateral, brutal, unpredictable decision' amid French fury that it triggered cancelation of an Australian agreement to buy French diesel powered submarines
America and the UK are to help Australia build a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines as part of an unprecedented alliance known as the AUKUS pact to combat China's naval dominance and will likely be the similar design as this Astute class submarine HMS Ambush (pictured)
The French embassy event was supposed to commemorate the 1781 'Battle of the Capes when the French Navy delivered a decisive blow to Britain's Royal Navy in the Revolutionary War. The Battle of Virgina Capes shows British forces on the right and French on the left
Under the terms, Australia for the first time would purchase US-made nuclear submarines, which are quieter, faster, and must come to port less frequently than diesel or electric boats.
The move infuriated France, which said it had not been informed long in advance.
Biden, who ran in part trumpeting his deft touch in diplomacy after helming the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, now finds himself at the center a diplomatic row with a key ally.
It comes at a time when his handling of the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan is also under scrutiny.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said France had been informed in advance of the move, and tried to put the best light on the state of relations.
'France in particular is a vital partner on this, and so many other issues,' he said.
The diplomatic slap came just minutes after the US military had to admit that a US drone strike in the final days before the US pullout in Afghanistan had mistakenly hit an aid worker, killing nine family members, including seven children.
Australia had been relying on French shipbuilder Naval Group to construct its disel submarine fleet, set to be delivered in the mid 2030s.
The move also piqued the government New Zealand, which has a longstanding opposition to nuclear energy, and
