British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday that he wants to "re-establish cooperation", Macron's office said, amid a diplomatic crisis over a submarine contract with Australia, reports FRANCE 24.
Macron was left furious last week after Australia ditched a mega-deal to buy diesel submarines from France in favour of American nuclear-powered ones - secured during secret negotiations facilitated by Britain.
In the conversation, which the Élysée Palace said came at Johnson's request, the British prime minister said he hoped for cooperation "in line with our values and our common interests", such as the battle against climate change, securing the Indo-Pacific region and the fight against terrorism.
Macron told Johnson that "he is awaiting his proposals", his office said in a brief statement.
French fury over what it sees as a "stab in the back" over the submarine contract saw Macron recall the French ambassadors to Washington and Canberra in an unprecedented diplomatic protest.
But the French envoy in London remained at her post, with France's Europe minister Clément Beaune dismissing London as a mere "third wheel" in the deal and a "junior partner" to the US.
Using franglais, Johnson this week appealed to France to "Donnez-moi un break", calling for calm after tempers flared in France, while also telling Paris to "prenez un grip" ("get a grip").
The submarine spat brought relations between Paris and London to their worst since Britain's 2016 vote to leave the European Union.