Source: World Wide Web
The diplomatic tension between France and Australia caused by the submarine contract crisis has become more and more open. According to the British Sky News reported on the 2nd, after French President Macron accused Australian Prime Minister Morrison of lying to him about canceling the submarine contract, Morrison was accused of releasing a private text message with Macron to show that Macron knew (canceled) the submarine contract.
Screenshot of The Sky News report
Sky News reported that this private text message was first published in the British "Daily Telegraph" on the evening of the 1st, and the content of the text message was sent by Macron to Morrison asking, "For our common submarine program, should I expect good news or bad news?" According to the report, Macron sent this text message to Morrison when he did not answer the phone from the Australian side.
Macron and his text message Source: British media
The report quoted sources as saying, "Macron was told very clearly, but he just didn't want to listen." Morrison also said, "In a subsequent call between the two sides, [Macron] made it clear that he was concerned that the call could lead Australia to decide not to continue negotiations [on the submarine contract]." ”
Sky News said Morrison did not deny the leak of the text message. But whether it was he or his office that leaked the contents of the text message, Morrison avoided talking about it.
According to previous reports, Macron said on October 31 during a summit of leaders of the Group of Twenty (G20) in Rome that Morrison lied to him about canceling the submarine contract. When asked by an Australian reporter if he felt Morrison had lied, Macron replied affirmatively: "I don't think, I know." In this regard, Morrison denied deceiving the French side: "I do not agree with this statement. This is not true. ”
France and Australia have been at loggerheads over submarine contracts. According to reports, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia announced on September 15 the establishment of a new trilateral security partnership "AUKUS", and the United States and the United Kingdom will support the Australian Navy to establish a nuclear submarine force. Australia subsequently announced the suspension of a multibillion-dollar conventional submarine purchase agreement with France. France angrily denounced the three allies for "stabbing in the back" and "lying" and recalling its ambassadors to the United States and Australia for the first time in history.