France recalls ambassadors to US, Australia over submarine row

PARIS: France has decided to recall its ambassadors to the United States and Australia for consultation after Canberra scrapped a deal to acquire French-designed submarines and decided instead to invest in American nuclear-powered submarines.

“At the request of the president of the Republic, I decided to immediately recall to Paris for consultations with our two ambassadors in the United States and Australia. This exceptional decision is justified by the exceptional gravity of the announcements made on September 15 by Australia and the United States,” said the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs in a statement on September 17.  (Xinhua)