OREANDA-NEWS French President Emmanuel Macron has said he wants to start with a clean slate on relations with Australia, which have deteriorated under the previous Canberra authorities, TASS reported.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is visiting the Elysee Palace on Friday, July 1. Before the talks began, Macron told reporters that he sees an opportunity to rebuild relations with Canberra in a variety of areas.

In the fall of 2021, there was a crisis in relations between the two countries because Australia broke a multi-billion dollar contract to buy 12 French submarines. Instead, the Australian authorities decided to enter into an agreement with the U.S. and Britain to create a military alliance, AUKUS. Macron then recalled French ambassadors from Australia and Washington. The French president also accused Scott Morrison, then head of the Australian government, of being a deliberate liar.

After coming to power in May 2022, Albanese negotiated compensation for the termination of the treaty with France violated by his predecessor.