Submarine dispute ‘not just a French problem’, says EU’s top diplomat
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The recent submarine dispute between France and its US, UK and Australian allies has highlighted the need for improved communication and the importance of a European military force to act as a compliment to NATO, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told FRANCE 24 on Thursday.
Borrell called for a system to be put in place to avoid a repeat of a diplomatic spat that saw France recall its ambassadors to the US and Australia last week over Canberra’s scrapping of a multibillion-dollar French submarine deal.
Following a phone conversation between French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Joe Biden on Wednesday, Paris agreed to send back its recalled ambassador to the US.
Speaking to FRANCE 24 following his meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Borrell said the submarine dispute had implications for the European Union “as whole”. Borrell noted that Australia, the US and UK – or AUKUS – announced the scrapping of the French deal on the very day the EU was set to launch its own Indo-Pacific plan.
Click on the video player above to watch the full interview.
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