Two French warships have arrived at Kochi Port to take part in the La Peres joint military exercise. The two ships – Tonner and Frigate -will take part in a joint exercise led by the French Navy to be held in the Bay of Bengal.
The assault helicopter carrier Tonner and LaFayette class Sarcoff frigate will be in Kochi till April 1 and will then leave for the Bay of Bengal.
There will be a joint exercise from April 5 to 7. This is the first time the French Navy is going to conduct maneuvers with all four members of the QUAD. The first meeting of the QUAD countries was holding on March 12.
Navies from the four QUAD countries will be involve in this exercise. The QUAD countries include India, the USA, Australia, and Japan.
French Ambassador Emmanuel Lenin, Welcomed both warships
French Ambassador Emmanuel Lenin, who welcomed both warships, said, “I am proud of the extraordinary level our navies have achieved.
It is no surprise that India and the Indo-Pacific are at the center of training for a new generation of new naval officers.”
The exercise will be followe by two important trilateral meetings of the Foreign Ministers of India and Australia between their counterparts in France and Indonesia in New Delhi next month.
The Tonner and Sarkoff frigates left France in February for a major maneuver to behold in the Indo-Pacific. The French embassy said in a statement issued.
This would strengthen interoperability with the region’s key allies, especially with India.
Along with this the deployment will also help train a new batch of 148 French naval officer cadets.
It is known that China has a dispute with many countries regarding the South China Sea. China has been claiming its territory as its own.
However, members of the Quad have supported the South China Sea’s efforts to ensure freedom of navigation and overflight.
Thus, the first edition of the La Perez joint exercise launched by France in 2019 included warships from Australia, Japan, and the US. This year, India is joining maneuvers for the first time.