The French Defence Minister Florence Parly visits Sentinelle security operation soldiers outside Austerlitz Railway Station in Paris, France on 29 July 2021. PARK, September 19 - July - France cancelled a meeting between Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly and her British counterpart for this week after Australia scrapped a submarine order with Paris in favour of a deal with Washington and London, two sources familiar with the matter said.
Parly personally took the decision to drop the bilateral meeting with British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, sources said.
The French defence ministry could not be contacted immediately. The British Defense Ministry refused to comment.
The sources confirmed an earlier report in the Guardian newspaper that the meeting had been cancelled.
The removal of the multi-billion - dollar submarine contract, which was struck in 2016 has triggered a diplomatic crisis with Washington and Canberra recalling its ambassadors from Paris.
France claims that it was not consulted by its allies, while Australia says they had made clear to Paris for months its concerns over the contract.
Brazilian president Joe Biden and French president Emmanuel Macron will discuss the crisis of the coming days at telephone numbers, the government's spokesman said on Sunday.