Islam Times - French Foreign Minister Says US, UK Are Two Opportunistic Countries

Islam Times - The French foreign minister on Saturday night again criticized the tripartite coalition of the United States, UK and Australia, accusing Washington and London of opportunism.

"Washington and London are lying in times of crisis," said Jean-Yves Le Drian, noting that the United States and Britain are opportunists.

The French foreign minister also warned that the tripartite alliance would have implications for the future of NATO.

This shows the depth of the crisis," Le Drian said, referring to the recall of his ambassadors from the United States and Australia.

Richard Ferrand, the president of the French National Assembly who is attending the G7 Speakers' Conference in the UK, said that The bonds of friendship between France and the UK, US and Australia have been tarnished by the AUKUS pact, and it is now "more difficult than before" for France to trust those countries.

"This has been a huge mistake, a very, very bad handling of the partnership,” French Ambassador Jean-Pierre Thebault also said before flying home to France.

"It's a stab in the back. We had established a trusting relationship with Australia, and this trust was betrayed," French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a Franceinfo interview Thursday morning. Le Drian added he was "angry and very bitter about this break up," adding that he had spoken to his Australian counterpart days ago and received no serious indication of the move.

France announced on Friday that it was recalling its ambassadors to the United States and Australia in protest over the White House decision to provide nuclear-powered submarines to Australia.

Last Wednesday, the three countries announced an Indo-Pacific diplomatic, security and defense cooperation pact, under which the U.S. and the UK will export "highly sensitive" nuclear submarine technology to Australia.

In fact, Washington intends to strengthen its longtime ally to counter China in the region by further strengthening Australia's military.