Paris. September 19. INTERFAX-The authorities of France and Switzerland have denied media reports that Paris refused to meet the presidents of these two countries, Emmanuel Macron and Guy Parmelin, against the background of the fact that the Swiss side this year preferred to buy fighter jets from the United States, and not in France.
"(The meeting) has never been canceled, and especially for the reasons stated, " the French media quoted the French government as saying.
The statement clarifies that at the beginning of the year, Macron agreed to a meeting with his Swiss counterpart, and the Swiss side proposed November as the date of the event.
"We told them in the summer that it would be difficult in November," the Elysee Palace noted, adding that the final date of the meeting has not yet been set.
The Swiss presidential administration, in turn, clarified that the president's schedule has not yet been finalized, and that changes in plans do not mean the "cancellation of the confirmed visit" of Parmelin. The administration clarified that it was not a state visit, but only "a working trip of the president."
Earlier, Swiss newspapers reported, citing unnamed diplomatic sources, that France preferred to refuse the meeting due to the fact that Switzerland, having made a choice in June in favor of acquiring 36 F-35A fighter-bombers from the United States, despite this already final decision, discussed the supply of fighters with Paris.
According to the press, Paris came to the conclusion that the Swiss Defense Ministry, having already decided to buy American fighters, continued consultations with other manufacturers, including the French company Dassault Aviation, which produces the French Rafale multi-purpose fighter.
The media remind that this information became known against the background of disagreements between France and the United States and Australia over the cancellation of Canberra's contract with Paris for the construction of submarines.
This week, US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Ministers Scott Morrison and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the creation of a new trilateral security partnership - AUKUS. The first major initiative of AUKUS will be the construction of a nuclear submarine fleet for Australia. This provides for the refusal of Canberra from the contract for the construction of submarines with the French company Naval Group for $90 billion.
At the same time, as reported, French President Macron was not informed about the preparation of the partnership agreement, its details were agreed by the three parties at the June summit of the "big seven" in Cornwall in the south of England from June 11 to 13.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian denied reports that prior consultations were held with France before the announcement of the agreement, saying that "this is not true." The allies "do not treat each other with such cruelty, with such unpredictability," the minister said.
