President Biden And President Macron Speak On The Phone, French Foreign Minister: Needs Time To Restore Confidence

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. (Wikimedia Commons/president.gov.ua)

JAKARTA - French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday it would take time and action to restore trust in relations after the crisis sparked by the cancellation of Australia's submarine contract with Paris.

France was angered by Australia's decision last week to opt for deals with the United States and Britain to buy nuclear submarines, and summoned its ambassadors to Washington and Canberra for consultations.

The meeting of Foreign Ministers Blinken and Foreign Minister Le Drian came after US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by telephone on Wednesday, agreeing to launch in-depth consultations to rebuild trust between the two NATO allies. They also agreed to meet in Europe at the end of October.

Foreign Minister Le Drian said in a statement he had discussed with Foreign Minister Blinken at the United Nations in New York the "key terms and issues" that would be discussed during the in-depth consultation.

Meanwhile, the US State Department said Foreign Minister Blinken and Foreign Minister Le Drian had also discussed cooperation between the United States and European countries, including France in the Indo-Pacific region.

Foreign Minister Blinken said at a press conference on Thursday that he was committed to working with Foreign Minister Le Drian in consultations.

"We recognize this will take time and work, it will be demonstrated not only in words, but in deeds," Blinken said.

"I believe our common interests are so strong and the values we share are so unwavering, that we will move on and do a good job."

Earlier, US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron moved quickly to improve relations between the two countries, with Paris agreeing to send its ambassador back to Washington.

At the same time, the White House also acknowledged mistakes in brokering a deal for Australia to buy US submarines instead of France, without consulting Paris first.

In a joint statement issued after speaking for 30 minutes on the phone, the two leaders agreed to launch in-depth consultations to rebuild trust, and meet in Europe at the end of October.