SYDNEY: France's defence relations with Australia have recovered after their 2021 bust-up over a major submarine contract , the country's ambassador said on Sunday (Jul 13). Paris expressed its "strong regrets" when Australia tore up a multibillion-dollar deal to buy a fleet of diesel-powered submarines from France, Ambassador Pierre-Andre Imbert said. Since the 2022 election of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese , however, the defence relationship had been "restarted", he said. "Now, the first