BRUSSELS, (Sputnik) - EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell met with his Australian counterpart, Marise Payne, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and expressed regret that the new Australian-UK-US partnership (AUKUS) excluded countries of the European Union, the EU foreign service said on Monday.
"High Representative/Vice-President Borrell and Foreign Minister Payne discussed the recent announcement of a security partnership by the US, United Kingdom and Australia and the cancellation of the submarine contract with France. He inquired about the lack of prior consultations and regretted that this partnership excludes European partners, who have a strong presence in the Pacific," the statement reads.
The current security challenges in the region that is strategically important to many EU countries require more cooperation between "likeminded partners," Borrell noted. He also said that the EU plans to hold internal consultations on the AUKUS issue.
Borrell and Payne agreed to maintain contact and further work towards "overcoming the challenges created by recent events."
On September 15, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States announced a defense partnership dubbed AUKUS, which allows Australia to acquire nuclear-propelled submarines from the two partners after unilaterally quitting a $66 billion submarine contract with France.
The move, which, tuned out, was not discussed with the French leadership, caused a rough patch in Australia-France relationship and forced Paris to recall its ambassadors from the US and Australia. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian described Australia's withdrawing from the contract as a "stab in the back."