French carrier strike group to make first stopover in PH —Embassy

The French Navy’s Carrier Strike Group (CSG) is set to make its first stopover in the Philippines on Friday as part of its mission, according to the Embassy of France to the Philippines and to Micronesia.

“Deployed in the Indo-Pacific as part of mission CLEMENCEAU 25, the French CSG will make an operational break in Subic Bay and Manila from the 21st February for an unprecedented visit,” the Embassy said.

The French CSG is composed of aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle, two multi-mission destroyers, an air defense destroyer, and the auxiliary oil replenishment ship Jacques Chevallier.

Mission CLEMENCEAU 25 : a demonstration of French naval power

Since last November, The French carrier strike group (CSG) has been engaged in operation CLEMENCEAU 25, a strategic deployment that will take the CSG from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean, and from… pic.twitter.com/uVtvNdluX4

— Ministère des Armées (@Armees_Gouv) February 1, 2025

According to the French Embassy, the visit is part of the framework of the letter of intent signed by France and the Philippines in December 2023, which aims to boost their military cooperation and interactions.

French Ambassador to the Philippines Marie Fontanel and several high-ranking military authorities will board the Charles De Gaulle at sea on Friday.

Before the stopover of the French CSG, the Embassy said the Philippine Air Force will join air interactions with the Navy Rafale of the embarked carrier air wing.

A destroyer of the French CSG will also participate in a bilateral interaction with BRP José Rizal and BRP Gregorio Del Pilar, according to the embassy.

“These interactions are 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,” the French embassy said.

“The stopover also gives the crews a chance to discover the Philippines, interact with Filipinos and meet the NGO ANAK-TNK, which is organizing a basketball match between sailors and young people hosted by the foundation,” it added.

The Philippine military welcomed the forthcoming visit.

“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 U.S. forces. 

“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,” Colonel Xerxes Trinidad, chief of the Armed Forces Public Affairs Office, said in a statement. —Joviland Rita/AOL/RSJ, GMA Integrated News