THE Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he has no plans to hold talks with French President Emanuel Macron on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York this week, following the cancellation by Canberra of a submarine purchase contract by a French company worth more than 50 billion euros.
Canberra canceled a contract with French Naval Group last week to buy conventional submarines and will buy at least eight nuclear-powered submarines from the United States. after concluding a security pact with Washington and London.
The cancellation of the contract angered France, which recalled its ambassadors from Australia and the United States.
Although US President Joe Biden has expressed a desire to talk to Macron to ease tensions, Morrison has said he will not have a separate bilateral meeting with the French president.
“It simply came to our notice then. “I’m sure there will be an opportunity in time,” he told reporters in New York when asked if he would speak with Macron on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
EU countries expressed their solidarity with France on Monday, which could hurt Australia’s chances of concluding a free trade agreement with the bloc.
Australia and the EU are expected to hold the next round of talks on reaching an agreement on 12 October. Australian Trade Minister Dan Tihan said yesterday that he expected the talks to take place as planned, despite France’s anger.
Morrison will meet with Biden and European leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly before heading to Washington for a meeting with the Quad Group – India, Japan, the United States and Australia – later this week.
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