Proceeding with the 2016 submarine deal with France would have been “negligent” and harmful to Australia’s strategic interests, Scott Morrison said on Sunday. Speaking to the media in Sydney, he said he has no regrets over the decision that triggered a multinational diplomatic crisis and is believed to have put …
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“There has been lying, duplicity, a major breach of trust and contempt. This will not do,” Foreign Minister Le Drian told the press on Saturday. Paris’ ambassadors to Canberra and Washington have been recalled in response to the deal, and Le Drian had previously described Australia ditching the pact between …
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Ismail expressed concern about the effects on regional stability on Saturday, after he spoke to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison about the AUKUS treaty – Canberra’s new deal with the United States and United Kingdom to acquire nuclear-powered submarines apparently aimed at countering China. The AUKUS deal could become a …
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This is a story of geopolitically driven military procurement gone mad. Australia is an island nation whose very survival is dependent upon its ability to access strategic sea lines of communication (SLOCs) so that critical commerce links can operate on a sustained basis. In short, if any nation or group …
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The submarine sale, negotiated in secret and announced earlier this week, prompted France to recall its ambassadors from Washington and Canberra on Friday, kicking off a rare, high-level row between the three allies. Paris argued it was not informed of the deal, which effectively killed off a multi-billion dollar shipbuilding …
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“France is a vital partner and our oldest ally, and we place the highest value on our relationship,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Friday, according to Reuters. He added that the US would continue to work to resolve the spat at the senior level in the days ahead, …
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“At the request of the President of the Republic [Emmanuel Macron], I decided to immediately recall to Paris for consultations our two ambassadors in the United States and in Australia,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Friday. Le Drian said the decision was justified by the “exceptional gravity” …
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Antiwar reports: “President Biden and the leaders of Australia and the UK announced a new military agreement on Wednesday aimed at countering China. The pact, known as AUKUS, will focus on the sharing of sensitive military technologies, and the first initiative will focus on getting Australia nuclear-powered submarines.” US officials speaking to CNN described the effort …
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Speaking to radio 5aa, Morrison affirmed that French President Emmanuel Macron was made well aware that Canberra was considering other options that would serve Australia’s “national interest.” The Australian prime minister claimed he made it “very clear” in late June while dining with his French counterpart that there were “significant …
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken hailed the recently-unveiled AUKUS treaty as a sign of “the country’s shared commitment to safeguard peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific now and in the future” during a Thursday press conference in Washington, DC, adding that the US has concerns about Beijing economically pressuring …
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