French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday, accused Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison of lying to him over a cancelled submarine deal that caused a diplomatic trouble between the two countries.

Macron said that the leaders must treat each other with “respect,” and “You have to behave in line and consistently with this value [respect]”, as quoted by The Times.

Under the Aukus pact, Morrison dumped a contract with France to build 12 diesel-powered submarines in favour of a deal with the US for at least eight nuclear-powered submarines. In a response to which Macron had earlier labelled this abrupt decision of Australia as a “stab in the back,” and had recalled French ambassadors from Canberra.

"I have a lot of respect for your country. I have a lot of respect and a lot of friendship for your people. I just say when we have respect, you have to behave in line and consistently with this value," Macron told Australian reporters when asked about AUKUS pact at G20 summit.

However, Morrison denied that he had lied to the French president. He said he had told Macron that he had formed the view that conventional submarines would not meet Australia’s strategic interests when the two leaders met in Paris after a G7 summit this year. Morrison had stressed that he would always stand up for Australia's interests.

Australia's Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce also defended Morrison to Australian reporters, saying he would "back the Prime Minister in”.

"We didn't steal an island. We didn't deface the Eiffel Tower. It was a contract," Joyce said. “And contracts have terms and conditions, and one of those terms and conditions and propositions is that you might get out of the contract”, he added.

Another Federal Government Minister, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said that Australia Prime Minister's decision of snubbing the $90 billion diesel-powered submarines contract with a French defence company was “in the interest of Australia's national security.”

Macron met a number of other world leaders while at the G20 summit, but he did not schedule a bilateral discussion with Morrison. Australia’s prime minister will see Macron again at the COP-26 summit in Glasgow.

Image Courtesy: Bloomberg