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French President Emmanuel Macron has said Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison lied to him about a scrapped submarine deal. Asked if he thought Mr Morrison was not true, the president replied: “I do not think I know.”
Mr Macron was angry after Australia canceled a $ 37bn (£ 27bn) deal to build 12 submarines, and instead negotiated a new defense pact with the US and UK – the so-called Aukus.
Mr Morrison denies any wrongdoing. The duo met at the G20 summit in Rome for the first time since the outbreak in September.
At the meeting, President Macron was asked by an Australian journalist if he could trust Mr Morrison again.
“We will see what he delivers,” Mr Macron replied.
“I have a lot of respect for your country and a lot of friendship for your people. I’m just saying if we have respect, you have to be true and you have to be in line and behave consistently. Worth it.” The canceled deal launched a bitter rift between France, Australia and the United States.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian condemned the decision as a “stab in the back”, and Paris temporarily recalled its ambassadors to Australia and the United States.
Following Mr Macron’s comments, Scott Morrison told reporters that he had not lied to the President. He said he had previously explained to him (Macaron) that conventional submarines no longer meet Australia’s defense needs.
He added that the reconstruction of trust and the relationship between the two nations had already begun.
On Friday, US President Joe Biden also held his first face-to-face meeting with Mr Macron since the Aukus Pact was signed.
During the seemingly unusual exchange, Mr Biden admitted that the United States was “clumsy” about the negotiations. Mr Macron said it was important to “look to the future”.
Leaders have more time to improve relations, as all three are now in the Scottish city of Glasgow for the COP26 Climate Change Summit.