Paris
French President Emmanuel Macron received on Friday Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to discuss the future ties between the two countries, in an effort to rebuild relations, strained by Canberra’s decision to ditch a submarine contract with Paris.
The bilateral relationship deteriorated when Australia last year cancelled a billion-dollar deal for submarines with French-owned shipbuilder Naval Group for a trilateral security pact with the US and the UK, leading to one of the most heated diplomatic crises between the two countries.
The French presidential palace, the Elysee, said Macron and Albanese reaffirmed their commitment to build a  closer and stronger bilateral relationship based on mutual trust and respect.
 The new Australia position, proactive, ambitious, offers us an opportunity to move forward together on new projects within the framework of initiatives launched these recent years,  Macron said.
For his part, Albanese noted that his visit  represents a new start for our countries relationship.
 Australia’s relationship with France matters. Trust, respect and honesty matter. This is how I will approach my relations,  he said. In response, Macron said to the press that  we will speak about the future, not the past.
In a joint statement, the two countries said that they have agreed to establish a new agenda for cooperation.
To take the bilateral relationship forward, we agree to establish a new agenda for cooperation based on three pillars: defence and security; resilience and climate action; and education and culture, the statement said.
Australia and France will shape a new defence relationship and strengthen our collaboration and exchange on shared security interests, including through operational engagement and intelligence sharing, it added.
