3 weeks ago
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Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star
February 22, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — A French carrier strike group (CSG) led by Charles de Gaulle is in the Philippines for a three-day visit, during which it is expected to join Philippine naval and air forces in exercises in the country’s territorial waters and airspace.
The French embassy said the flotilla traveled more than 12,000 kilometers from its home port in Toulon, France to the Philippines for two-and-a-half months as part of its deployment in the Indo-Pacific region under Mission CLEMENCEAU 25.
The aircraft carrier, accompanied by two multi-mission destroyers, an air defense destroyer and auxiliary oil replenishment ship Jacques Chevallier, was to dock in Manila and Subic Bay.
The embassy did not disclose operational details.
“The arrival of the CSG in Subic Bay and Manila is part of the framework of the letter of intent signed in December 2023 between France and the Philippines by the Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro and French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu,” the embassy stated.
“This letter of intent aims in particular at developing military cooperation and interactions between the armed forces of the two countries,” it added.
French Ambassador Marie Fontanel and several ranking French and Philippine military officials had been invited to board the Charles de Gaulle to observe its operations.
“CLEMENCEAU 25 is a unique opportunity to strengthen Franco-Philippine relations, following one of the many interactions carried out in 2024, such as the first French participation in the BALIKATAN exercise with the deployment of the frigate Vendémiaire, the stopover of the destroyer Bretagne in Manila in May 2024 and of the frigate Prairial in Cebu in October 2024, as well as the first enhanced stopover of the PEGASE mission at Clark Air Base in 2024,” the embassy said.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) public affairs office chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad called the arrival of the French naval vessels a “historic stopover.” It was Charles de Gaulle’s first visit to the country.
“The French Navy forces are expected to conduct combined naval and air exercises alongside the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Air Force in the West Philippine Sea,” Trinidad said.
The Philippine Navy will deploy the BRP José Rizal and the BRP Gregorio del Pilar for the joint exercise.
“This visit builds on growing defense ties between the two nations, following the French Navy’s first participation in Exercise Balikatan 2024, during which the frigate Vendémiaire was deployed alongside Philippine and US forces,” Trinidad said.
“Previous port calls by the destroyer Bretagne in Manila and the frigate Prairial in Cebu further underscore France’s commitment to regional security and the shared goal of strengthening maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific,” he said.
“These interactions are a clear demonstration of the willingness to work collectively for maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region where the two countries share economic interests and a need to protect their national citizens,” he added. — Ghio Ong
