United Nations, September 26: UN Under-Secretary-General of Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu told Sputnik on Saturday, regarding the establishment of the Australia-UK-US security alliance (AUKUS), that all differences should be resolved through diplomacy.
When asked whether the AUKUS, announced last week, will contribute to stability in the region or will undermine it, Nakamitsu said, "It's too early to say."
Few details are available on the new security alliance, the under-secretary-general said.
The new agreement was questioned by Beijing. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the new pact alliance threatened stability in the region and provoked an arms race. At the same time, parties to the alliance said the pact was not aimed against anyone.
The establishment of the new deal, among other effects, outraged France, which lost a $66-billion deal on diesel-powered submarines with Australia, as Canberra abruptly terminated it in favour of procuring nuclear-powered submarines within the trilateral agreement.
French President Emmanuel Macron and his US counterpart, Joe Biden, discussed on Wednesday the start of consultations to restore trust in bilateral relations, as well as a late October meeting in Europe. Macron also announced that the French ambassador, recalled in the wake of the AUKUS announcement, would return to the US capital next week.
Source: Sputnik