LONDON (AP) \u2014 Prime Minister Boris Johnson has insisted that Britain\u2019s relationship with France is \u201cineradicable,\u201d despite fury in Paris over a U.S.-U.K.-Australia submarine deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A meeting between French Defense Minister Florence Parly and her British counterpart, Ben Wallace, has been postponed as the agreement roils relations between France and major allies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The two had been due to meet and address a meeting organized this week by the Franco-British Council. Peter Ricketts, the council\u2019s co-chairman, told The Guardian on Monday that the meeting had been \u201cpostponed to a later date.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The submarine deal, announced last week, will see Australia cancel a contract to buy diesel-electric French subs and acquire nuclear-powered vessels from the U.S. instead. The U.S., Australia and Britain say the deal bolsters their commitment to the Indo-Pacific region, and has widely been seen as a move to counter an increasingly assertive China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The French government appears to have been blindsided by the agreement. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian called it a \u201cstab in the back,\u201d and France recalled its ambassadors from Washington and Canberra, a highly unusual move among allies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
France did not, however, recall its envoy to London. French Europe Minister Clement Beaune said Britain, the third player in the \u201cAUSUK \u201d deal, was a \u201cjunior partner\u201d and a vassal of the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Johnson said U.K.-France relations were \u201cvery friendly\u201d despite the diplomatic turmoil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur love of France is ineradicable,\u201d Johnson told reporters traveling with him to New York for the U.N. General Assembly. \u201cAUKUS is not in any way meant to be zero-sum, it\u2019s not meant to be exclusionary. It\u2019s not something that anybody needs to worry about and particularly not our French friends.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
British officials have stressed the close military ties between the U.K. and France, including joint operations in Mali and Estonia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
U.K. Foreign Office minister James Cleverly said Monday that \u201call bilateral relationships go through periods of tension.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOn a personal level, I have absolutely no doubt that, ultimately, our relationship with France will endure,\u201d he told the BBC. \u201cBut this (submarine deal) is about making sure that we have a really strong defense relationship with two very, very important defense partners.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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