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Anthony Albanese’s ‘very positive’ exchange with French President Emmanuel Macron

Hamish SpenceNCA NewsWire
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Camera IconNot Supplied Credit: NCA NewsWire

Newly elected Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has had a “very positive” conversation with the French President in a sign relations between the two countries could be thawing.

The freshly minted Australian leader confirmed while speaking on Sky News on Thursday that Emmanuel Macron reached out shortly after his election victory.

Though, he said he would not be “leaking” the details of their exchanges.

It comes after Scott Morrison’s office was accused of leaking a text exchange between the two leaders to the media last year after Mr Macron called the former prime minister a liar over his cancellation of a submarine contract.

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Relations have been tense between Australia and France since late last year. Adam Taylor
Camera IconRelations have been tense between Australia and France since late last year. Adam Taylor Credit: Supplied

Relations have been tense between the two countries ever since, but Mr Albanese indicated he is hopeful of a fresh start.

“President Macron and I will develop a strong relationship, I’m confident of that,” he said.

“I’ll say this … the way you develop exchanges with leaders is to not leak the information and details.”

Mr Albanese later described his conversation with the French leader as “very positive” while on ABC News Breakfast.

“I have had an exchange with the President of France and it was a very positive exchange, and I have been overwhelmed by the positive response that I have received (from other world leaders),” he said.

China’s Premier Li Keqiang has also congratulated Mr Albanese on his election victory and said he hoped there would be “sound and stable” relations between the two countries going forward.

Mr Albanese said he would respond to the Premier’s message “appropriately”.

“I welcome all of the congratulations that I have received from around the world. We will act diplomatically and appropriately in all our dealings with other nations,” he said.

But Mr Albanese went on to say China needed to dump the trade tariffs it had imposed on Australian exports.

“I have said that the sanctions that have been placed on Australian exports going to China need to be withdrawn,” he said.

“There is no justification for these sanctions which have hurt the Australian economy and hurt Australian jobs.”

Mr Albanese also said he’d had conversations with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, while he would be welcoming his “friend” New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to Australia “very soon”.

Originally published as Anthony Albanese’s ‘very positive’ exchange with French President Emmanuel Macron

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