French carrier strike group to conduct drills with Indian warships
“The carrier strike group is in the Indian Ocean as part of the French Navy’s Mission Clemenceau 25, which is aimed at protecting the country’s interests in the Indo-Pacific and contributing to European operations in the region.”
“From India, the French warships will move on to the Indonesian zone for Exercise La Perouse, and to the Pacific Ocean for Exercise Pacific Steller.”
“The French Navy has been focusing on the Indo-Pacific because of two key factors – the presence of 1.5 million French citizens on island territories, and the country’s exclusive economic zone of more than 11 million sq km, the second largest in the world, with 93% or 9 million sqkm in the Indo-Pacific.”
‘The statement described India as “France’s foremost strategic partner since 1998”, and said that the “excellent Indo-French military cooperation is characterised by numerous bilateral exercises, such as Shakti on land, Varuna at sea and Garuda in air”.’
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