- Sputnik International, 1920, 21.09.2021
AUKUS
On 15 September, the US, UK, and Australia announced the new trilateral AUKUS defence partnership. While the partners said it's designed to protect and defend "our shared interests in the Indo-Pacific", some experts believe the true purpose of the partnership is to counter China.

Aussie PM: Australia to Pay French Naval Group Over $580 Million for AUKUS Sub Deal Fallout

© AP Photo / Mark BakerAustralian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese gestures during a joint press conference with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, in Sydney, Australia, Friday, June 10, 2022. Ardern is on a two-day visit to Australia.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese gestures during a joint press conference with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, in Sydney, Australia, Friday, June 10, 2022. Ardern is on a two-day visit to Australia.  - Sputnik International, 1920, 11.06.2022
Subscribe
It was announced in September 2021 that the first major initiative of the Australia-UK-US (AUKUS) security alliance would be the delivery of Australia's first nuclear-powered submarine fleet. The trilateral group's decision to construct in Adelaide notably torpedoed a previous $90 billion submarine agreement with a French defense contractor.
The Australian government has agreed to pay France's Naval Group a settlement amount of $580 million (A$830 million) over a submarine contract scrapped by the country in favor of their AUKUS alliance with Washington and London.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared that the settlement amount was "fair and equitable" and, furthermore, forged a pathway for improved relations between Australia and France.

"I intend to have an honest relationship with France–one that is based upon integrity and mutual respect," Albanese during a Saturday news conference.

The Australian PM remained tight-lipped on any further details regarding the agreement and promptly pivoted to attacking his "wasteful" predecessor, former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

"Tens of billions of dollars wasted across a range of programs that have resulted of course in–have contributed to–the $1 trillion of debt that the incoming Labor government has inherited," Albanese said.

The Australian PM clarified to reporters that the agreement was between the new government and Naval Group. Morrison's government did not finalize an agreement with the French defense contractor.
Australia Day, Sydney Harbour - Sputnik International, 1920, 15.09.2021
Australia to Gain Nuclear-Powered Submarine From Joint Defense Effort With US, UK
Then-PM Morrisson argued in September 2021 that France should have been well aware of Canberra's "deep and grave" concerns regarding whether the French-made attack submarines from a 2016 agreement would satisfy Australia's "strategic national interest."
Around the same time, France had blasted the "unpredictability" of the Australian government, with then-Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian declaring that such a move forces Paris to reexamine the strength of its alliance with Canberra.
French ambassadors were withdrawn from both Australia and the US over the matter.
Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала