French lawmaker Rachid Temal suggested on Wednesday that an inquiry by the parliamentary research commission should be conducted into the actions of the French government in the incident with Australia's exit from a submarine contract
PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd September, 2021) French lawmaker Rachid Temal suggested on Wednesday that an inquiry by the parliamentary research commission should be conducted into the actions of the French government in the incident with Australia's exit from a submarine contract.
Australia chose to unilaterally terminate a $66 billion submarine contract with France last week, as Canberra preferred to join another strategic partnership, AUKUS, with the Untied States and the United Kingdom. AUKUS envisions an expansion of the Australian fleet with nuclear-powered submarines.
"On June 2, one of the largest Australian newspapers wrote about the difficulties of this contract. You said nothing about it. And I take note that the diplomatic actions of your government were not corresponding to the level of such a country as France. Therefore, we are asking today the research commission of the Senate to find out the truth and draw the conclusions," Temal said at meeting of the upper house when posing a question to French Defense Minister Florence Parly.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian described the incident as "a knife in the back."
