Anthony Albanese swoons over French president Emmanuel Macron on another overseas tour

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has swooned over French President Emmanuel Macron after he landed in Lithuania for the NATO summit, giving both leaders a welcome reprieve from domestic troubles.

Recent polls have shown that voters are increasingly dissatisfied with how the Albanian government is handling the cost-of-living crisis, as the prime minister also faces personal criticism for his frequent trips abroad.

Meanwhile, France has been embroiled in nighttime scenes of chaos and violence as angry mobs turn on authorities after a 17-year-old boy of Moroccan and Algerian descent was shot dead by police in the Parisian suburb of Nanterre.

However, in each other’s warm embrace, the two leaders can at least boast of improving relations between their nations.

Europe must be open, prosperous and free. And I know there is no stronger advocate for that vision than French President Emmanuel Macron,” Albanese tweeted.

The Franco-Australian relationship was damaged in 2021 following a decision by the previous coalition government to scrap a contract with one French submarine in favor of acquiring others under a partnership with the UK and US.

Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s clandestine decision to scrap the deal cost French naval builders an estimated $5 billion.

France temporarily recalled its ambassador from Canberra and Mr Macron told Australian reporters that Mr Morrison had lied to him.

But it was all smiles when the two leaders met in Lithuania, where Mr Albanian shared praise for his French counterpart.

The $835 million settlement paid to French submarine builder Naval Group last June helped smooth things over between the two nations, which some analysts said was too much.

The Australian Prime Minister revealed that Mr Macron had invited him to visit France earlier this week but was unable to do so as Mr Albanese was in Germany.

Albanese said he had offered the French president an invitation to visit Australia.

The warm reception Mr Albanese receives abroad does not impress some experts at home.

Veteran broadcaster Alan Jones has accused Mr Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers of missing persons as thousands of households struggle to make ends meet.

For both national leaders, the NATO summit could serve as a reprieve from problems engulfing their nations

“I’ve been saying for months where are Anthony Albanese and Jim Chalmers regarding Australia’s cost of living crisis?” Jones wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.

They’re both nowhere to be seen.

‘The prime minister is too busy shaking hands with foreign leaders; and the treasurer continues to whine about the Liberal Party’s “trillion dollars in debt.”

“Meanwhile, young and older Australians, households and small businesses alike are struggling.”

Opinion polls for the Liberal Party showed that voters were losing confidence in Labor’s handling of the economy.

Only 13 percent of voters think the prime minister is doing enough to address household economic problems, according to a CT Group poll leaked to the Australian on Tuesday.

Mr Albanese and Mr Macron boast improvement between their nations after a frosty spell under the former Morison administration

It also showed that 36 per cent of those surveyed believed Labor had done ‘very badly’ in providing financial aid, with a further 30 per cent saying it had done ‘somewhat badly’ in this area.

France has descended into chaos since a French police officer shot and killed 17-year-old Nahel M, who was of North African descent, during a traffic stop on June 27.

Nighttime riots and looting have inflicted France’s worst mob violence in nearly two decades with cars torched, buildings damaged and public spaces vandalized across the country.

The damage bill is estimated at more than $1 billion.

Last week, a UN commission called on France to ensure an investigation into Nahel’s murder was “thorough and impartial,” and called for a ban on racial profiling.

Taking part in the summit for the second time since becoming prime minister, Mr Albanese will attend a special meeting on Wednesday alongside Australia’s ‘Indo-Pacific Four’ partners: Japan, South Korea and New Zealand.

French riot police respond to fireworks set off at the end of June during riots in the city of Lyon

The Prime Minister also met NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg thanked him for Australia’s participation at the top of the military alliance.

“We will be committed to supporting the people of Ukraine for as long as necessary,” Albanese said after announcing the deployment of an Australian reconnaissance aircraft to Europe a day earlier during the conflict.

Although not a member of NATO, Australia has been a member of the alliance since 2005 and has been an enhanced opportunities partner since 2014.

Ms Albanese also met his British counterpart Rishi Sunak on Tuesday, Portuguese leader Antonio Costa and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said he hoped to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday.

Mr Albanese previously announced that the Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail would help protect multinational logistics hubs and allow the free flow of aid, but would not encroach on Ukraine’s airspace.

The aircraft will be deployed for six months and will be based in Germany and will include up to 100 crew and support personnel from Australia.