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Updated November 13th, 2021 at 14:52 IST

Kamala Harris says she didn't discuss AUKUS submarine spat with Macron during Paris meet

Kamala Harris, who is on a five-day trip abroad, said that she did not discuss the surprise AUKUS nuclear submarine deal with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Reported by: Bhavya Sukheja
Kamala Harris
IMAGE: TWITTER | Image:self
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US Vice President Kamala Harris, who is on a four-day trip abroad, said that she did not discuss the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal with French President Emmanuel Macron. It is to mention that the diplomatic relations between Washington and Paris had hit historic lows after the announcement of the AUKUS pact angered France. Therefore, the mission of Harris’s trip to France was to revitalise the relationship between the two nations and bring new developments after US President Joe Biden acknowledged that America had been “clumsy” in handling the situation.  

However, when asked by reporters if she believed that she had done the job to repair the relationship after the scuttled deal, Harris said, “I will tell you that was not the purpose of this trip and we didn't discuss it.”

“What we did discuss is the issues that are challenging us and the issues that are the basis for this relationship and the strength and the endurance of this relationship," she added.

Harris informed she talked to Macron about mutual interests in the Western Hemisphere and issues that ranged from current challenges to what have been relationships that one could argue should be strengthened. The two leaders also “talked extensively about our mutual interest, and in many ways, a long-standing focus of France, on the continent of Africa,” the US VP added. 

Harris’ presence reflective of US priorities towards France

Further, she also said that she and Macron did speak about the "importance of paying attention to those relationships, and understanding the strength of them but also the fragility of them, meaning. We can't take relationships for granted. They must be present.” Harris said that’s one of the reasons why she and Joe Biden have been going on foreign trips during the coronavirus pandemic - “to be present”. 

"As it relates to me, as vice president, I think that there is no question that I am here as a representative for my country. And my presence here is reflective of the priorities that the United States has as it relates to France," Harris said.

Moreover, the US Vice President went on to inform that she and Macron also discussed the humanitarian crisis at the border of Poland and Belarus, where thousands of migrants are stranded in terrible conditions due to the intensifying dispute between Minsk and the EU. Harris said that the US and France are “very concerned and closely paying attention” to the situation. She also stated that she believes that the Lukashenko regime is engaged in “very troubling activity”. “The eyes of the world and its leaders are watching,” Harris added. 

(Image: Twitter)

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Published November 13th, 2021 at 14:52 IST

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