Poland’s deputy defence minister has claimed that Poles taught the French how to use forks as a diplomatic row rages over the handling of a failed multi-billion euro helicopter deal. Bartosz Kownacki was speaking after France withdrew the Polish delegation’s invitation to a Euronaval industry fair in Paris next week amid tension over the breakdown in talks aimed at Poland buying Airbus choppers. “The French side officially invited us a long time ago and now they are showing us the door,” Kownacki said on the TVN24 private news channel. “Minister Kownacki is perhaps the first politician to commit diplomatic suicide by fork,” the Polityka weekly commented on its website. Last week Poland halted talks with Airbus to buy 50 of its Caracal helicopters, drawing a furious response from chief executive Tom Enders who said his company had never been treated so badly by any government.

Source: The Guardian October 13, 2016 01:11 UTC