Sub snub to top next month's EU summit agenda

France's European Union partners agreed on Tuesday to put country's festering dispute over a major Indo-Pacific defense deal between US, Australia and Britain, at top of bloc's political agenda, including at an EU summit next month.

Indo-Pacific security pact known as AUKUS will see Australia cancel a multi-billion-dollar contract to buy diesel-electric French submarines and acquire US nuclear-powered vessels inste.

French government is suggesting it was betrayed by deal.

At a news conference in Brussels, Slovenian Foreign Affairs State Secretary Gasper Dovzan said that issue "raised interest" and will "occupy" members of bloc for " months to come."

EU leers are set to meet in Slovenia on October 6 and again in Brussels on 21-22 October.

Speaking alongside Dovzan, European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic said it was important for EU to "focus more" on its "strategic autonomy" following trilateral agreement.