France to send ambassador Jean-Pierre Thebault back ‘with a mission’

Scott Morrison says the return of France’s ambassador to Australia was ‘always going to happen’, and his government is not planning fresh initiatives to repair relations with Paris.

French ambassador to Australia Jean-Pierre Thebault.

Scott Morrison says the return of France’s ambassador to Australia was “always going to happen”, and his government is not planning fresh initiatives to repair relations with Paris over the cancelled $90bn Attack-class submarines.

Ambassador Jean-Pierre Thebault is preparing to return to Canberra to “firmly defend” his country’s interests amid compensation talks with France’s Naval Group following the AUKUS deal to acquire nuclear submarine technology from the US and ­Britain.

Despite ongoing fury in Paris at Australia’s AUKUS “deception”, the Prime Minister said making up with France would involve “basically picking up on all the things we were working on and continuing on with them”.

“It’s not a matter, frankly, of what additional things we’re putting on our co-operation. We ­already have co-operation,” he said. “The Australia-France relationship is bigger than a contract.

“And France’s presence and significance and influence in the Indo-Pacific isn’t about a contract – it’s about the fact that they have an actual presence here in the Indo-Pacific.”

Mr Thebault was recalled in mid-September after Australia’s shock cancellation of the Attack-class submarines in favour of a planned nuclear alternative.

He is expected to return to Australia within a fortnight, after obtaining permission to enter the country under Covid travel rules.

It’s understood he will eschew closer relations with the federal govern­ment in favour of strengthening ties with states and business figures.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, who in September accused the Morrison government of stabbing Paris in the back over the AUKUS deal, said on Thursday AEDT that Mr Thebault would return to Canberra.

“I have now asked our ambassador to return to Canberra with two missions: to help redefine the terms of our relationship with Australia in the future … and to defend our interests in the concrete implementation of the Australian decision to end the program for future submarines,” Mr Le Drian said.

Ahead of his return, Japanese ambassador Yamagami Shingo said France would “eventually” get over its anger towards Australia and refocus on the nations’ strategic partnership, as Japan had done after Australia rejected its own submarine bid.

“I think Japan is in the best position to understand the depth of their feelings because five years ago we were in a similar position because our bid to introduce Soryu submarines was not taken up,” he said. “But what we did was rather than dwelling on that issue, the Japanese people and government have decided to go ahead and promote strategic partnership with Australia. I am quite sure our French colleagues will do the same eventually.”

Foreign Minister Marise Payne welcomed Mr Thebault’s imminent return, conced­ing there was much work to be done to repair the bilateral relationship. “We will work with France to move forward with our relationship. We recognise this will take time,” she said.

“The return of the ambassador is a welcome step in this process. France continues to be a critical partner for Australia. We look forward to … ongoing co-operation in the Indo-Pacific.”

In contrast to Australia, the US has moved swiftly to signal its contrition over the AUKUS agreement’s impact on France.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been leading the effort to repair relations with Paris, meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron this week.