Truss defends new security deal AUKUS

But France, whose own submarine deal with Australia was thwarted as a result of the AUKUS partnership, has criticised the agreement…reports Asian Lite News.

Liz Truss, new Foreign Secretary, on Sunday said the UK’s new security agreement with the US and Australia will make it safer and could create hundreds of new jobs.

The trilateral security and defence partnership, known as Aukus, will see Australia being given the technology to build nuclear-powered submarines.

Foreign Secretary said it showed the UK’s readiness to be “hard-headed” in defending its interests, the BBC reported.

But France, whose own submarine deal with Australia was thwarted as a result of the AUKUS partnership, has criticised the agreement.

Following the development, Paris has recalled its ambassadors in the US and Australia for consultations in response, while China has accused the three powers of having a “Cold War mentality”, it reported.

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Truss said the partnership showed the UK’s commitment to stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

She wrote: “Freedoms need to be defended, so we are also building strong security ties around the world.

“This is about more than foreign policy in the abstract, but delivering for people across the UK and beyond by partnering with like-minded countries to build coalitions based on shared values and shared interests.”

Meanwhile, Truss has arrived in US for a four-day visit to New York and Washington DC – the first official visit in her new role.

Along with the Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Truss will meet President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as attending High Level Week of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

Speaking ahead of the visit Truss said: “I’m delighted my first international visit as Foreign Secretary is to the United States – the UK’s closest and most important partner. At the UN General Assembly, I look forward to convening global leaders to tackle the major issues of the day and projecting a positive, outward-looking Global Britain that delivers for people across the United Kingdom.”

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