The head of American diplomacy at the 20 hours newspaper of France 2. This Tuesday, October 5, Antony Blinken was the guest of Anne-Sophie Lapix. Earlier today it was “long received one-on-one” by Emmanuel Macron, for his first meeting with a leader of the United States since the start of the submarine crisis. This is what the Elysee said in a press release, stressing that Paris and Washington “continue their coordination work on issues of common interest, be it EU-NATO cooperation, the Sahel, or the Indo-Pacific area”. Watch our live.
The head of American diplomacy received this Tuesday by the French president. Antony Blinken was received by French President Emmanuel Macron. Goal : “to help restore confidence between France and the United States” after the submarine crisis, said the Elysee.
An unexpected encounter. the “long tete-a-tete” was not initially on the agenda. Following the tensions caused by the submarine crisis, Antony Blinken was due to meet with the President’s diplomatic adviser. Finally, it was Emmanuel Macron who spoke with him, to “to help restore confidence between France and the United States”, declared the Elysee.
Tense relations between Paris and Washington in mid-September. The tensions arose when US President Joe Biden announced a new alliance with Australia and the UK in the Indo-Pacific region, as part of his top international priority: countering China. This partnership, dubbed Aukus, aroused the anger of France because it torpedoed a contract for the purchase of 12 French submarines, signed with the Australians.