The French president’s words follow those of outgoing French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, who beat Albanian predecessor Scott Morrison just hours after admitting defeat over the weekend. the former prime minister had handled the matter with “so much brutality and cynicism” and “unequivocal incompetence.”
According to a lengthy reading of the conversation broadcast by the Elysée Palace on Friday morning AEST, Macron recalled the historical ties forged between France and Australia, and the immense gratitude of generations of French people for the struggle led by young Australians in the world. Trenches of the First War.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during a QUAD conference in Japan. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
“This sacrifice will never be forgotten, especially when the war has returned to the heart of the European continent,” the statement said.
He added: “After noticing the deep breach of trust that followed the decision of former Prime Minister Scott Morrison to end the future submarine program, the Australian head of state and prime minister agreed to rebuild a bilateral relationship. based on trust and respect to overcome the global world together. challenges. “
The couple also spoke about the situation in Ukraine and the response to the risk of a food crisis with the FARM (Food and Agriculture Resilience Mission) initiative.
Albanese, who has made regional engagement a priority in his early days in office, could have the opportunity to meet with Macron and his fellow European leaders as early as next month, as Australia has been invited to attend. the NATO summit in Madrid courtesy of his state as one of the alliance’s enhanced opportunity partners.
A few hours after being sworn in on Monday, Albanese flew to Tokyo to attend a Quad meeting with leaders from the United States, Japan and India.
Speaking to Sky News Australia on Thursday, Albanese said he was confident he would develop a “strong relationship” with Macron.
“The way you develop with leaders when you have exchanges is not to filter out information and details,” he said, in clear research like his predecessor.
Slightly improved Labor promises on climate change will also make it easier to reach a free trade agreement with the European Union. Brussels and Macron have placed significant emphasis on climate and other sustainability standards in trade negotiations, although France and several EU nations are not well on track to meet their 2030 targets.
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