French Minister, Top US Diplomat To Meet On October 5 Amid Strained Ties

The meeting of Jean-Yves Le Drian and Antony Blinken comes as US and France aim to rebuild ties in the wake of a row over a lucrative submarine deal which France lost.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian will hold talks with United States' Secretary of State Antony Blinken on October 5, as the two countries aim to rebuild diplomatic ties in the wake of a row over a lucrative submarine contract which France lost.

"The two ministers will hold in-depth talks, following on from their meeting in New York on September 23, in order to identify the steps that will be needed to re-establish confidence between our two countries," French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anne-Claire Legendre said in a statement.

"As the minister had said in New York, getting out of this crisis will take time and will need firm action," she added.

Diplomatic relations between the United States and France hit a low point last month, after Australia cancelled a previous multi-billion dollar French-designed submarine deal, to build instead at least eight nuclear-powered submarines with US and British technology.