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French ambassador returns to Washington as tensions ease
Ambassador Philippe Etienne was ordered back to Paris on September 17 for consultations after Australia backed out of a multibillion-dollar contract for French submarines as part of a new alliance with Washington and London.
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The home of the French Ambassador to the US, Philippe Etienne, is seen on the evening of September 17, 2021 in Washington, DC. France on September 17, 2021 recalled its ambassadors to the United States, Philippe Etienne, and Australia, Jean-Pierre Thebault, for consultations in a ferocious row over the scrapping of a submarine contract, an unprecedented step that revealed the extent of French anger against its allies. (AFP/Alex Edelman)
F
rance's ambassador returned to the United States on Wednesday after nearly two weeks as the allies patch up relations following fury in Paris over the cancellation of a lucrative contract.
Ambassador Philippe Etienne was ordered back to Paris on September 17 for consultations after Australia backed out of a multibillion-dollar contract for French submarines as part of a new alliance with Washington and London.
Etienne arrived Wednesday afternoon at Dulles International Airport outside the US capital, a French embassy spokesman said.
His return was agreed upon during a telephone call last week between French President Emmanuel Macron and his US counterpart Joe Biden, who acknowledged that Washington could have communicated better with its longtime ally.
In strikingly strong language, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian had accused the United States of betrayal and Australia of backstabbing.
Canberra said it scrapped the contract as it decided it needs nuclear submarines, which can stay underwater for far greater stretches, at a time of rising tensions with China.
