Macron, Biden agree to soothe tensions after submarine row

PARIS - US President Joe Biden and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron spoke for the first time on Wednesday since a row erupted over the sale of submarines to Australia, vowing to restore confidence damaged by what Paris saw as betrayal.

In what amounted to an acknowledgement of French anger, the statement from the White House said that "the situation would have benefited from open consultations among allies on matters of strategic interest to France and our European partners". The October meeting between Macron and Biden would meanwhile seek "to reach shared understandings and maintain momentum in this process" to restore confidence, the statement said.France was particularly outraged that Australia negotiated with Washington and London in secret, which French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian denounced as "treachery" and a "stab in the back".

After four years of tumultuous relations with ex-president Donald Trump, the spat also dashed hopes of a complete reset under Biden, who took office in January aiming to rebuild frazzled ties with Europe. In another welcome step for Paris, the joint statement added that the US committed "to reinforcing its support to counter-terrorism operations" in the Sahel region of Africa, where French forces are deployed to fight jihadists.Observers and some of France's European partners had begun wondering how and when Macron would call an end to the face-off, which is playing out just seven months ahead of French presidential elections.

The issue of EU defence is a sensitive issue between Biden and Macron, who has pushed hard during his four-and-a-half years in office for Europeans to invest more in defence, having said Nato is undergoing "brain death".

South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Biden promises new era of ‘relentless diplomacy’ and climate action in UN speechThe world needs unity as it faces a 'decisive decade', US leader tells General Assembly
Source: BDliveSA - 🏆 12. / 63 Read more »

WATCH: Joe Biden urges world nations to cut methane outputAccording to the United Nations IPCC, ’the concentration of methane in the atmosphere is higher now than any time in at least 800 000 years.’
Source: IOL - 🏆 46. / 51 Read more »

Joe Biden has too much fish to fry to bother with Johnson’s fish ’n chipsUK prime minister unlikely to get the US trade deal he has talked up
Source: BDliveSA - 🏆 12. / 63 Read more »

Asian investors soothed by Evergrande bond planAsian investors trod carefully on Wednesday but nerves appeared to be settled by news that troubled Chinese property giant Evergrande had agreed a plan to repay interest on one of its key bonds, for now avoiding a default that many fear could hammer the domestic and global economy. How wish all traders are like LindaStouffes there won’t be any loss of money because I and so many of my friends traded with her and got our profit, thanks once again LindaStouffes
Source: eNCA - 🏆 49. / 51 Read more »

China’s Xi pledges not to build new coal-fired power projects abroadMeanwhile, US president Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart trade swipes at UN General Assembly Everything that politicians do has to do with so much of mind game . Play the game or stay away from the game . As in just stop bothering about them . They’re who whom they’re and there is just nothing you can do about it until God
Source: SundayTimesZA - 🏆 47. / 51 Read more »

Biden promises new era of ‘relentless diplomacy’ and climate action in UN speechThe world needs unity as it faces a 'decisive decade', US leader tells General Assembly
Source: BDliveSA - 🏆 12. / 63 Read more »