GEORGE TOWN: The French Navy air defence destroyer FS Forbin has been on a port call in Penang since Jan 12.
The 153m long and 20m wide warship, with a crew of 220, is on an escort mission for the French Carrier Strike Group (CSG).
France ambassador to Malaysia Axel Cruau said French presence in the Pacific and Indian oceans demonstrates its “constant commitment to peace and security worldwide”.
“In a world marked by increased tension and crises, this mission is proof of France’s will and capacity to act to protect international law, in particular, the law of the sea, to protect free and open access to common spaces, to defend sovereignties, and reinforce its partnerships,” he said during a press conference aboard the vessel on Tuesday.
Cruau added that France is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and with it, is a power that is committed to respect for an international order based on law.
“(It is) a power attached to respect for borders and for sovereignty, and a power which refuses imperialism, whatever its forms and whatever the countries that use imperialism,” he stressed.
He also highlighted that there were about two million French citizens living in the Indian and Pacific oceans region, particularly in La Reunion, Polynesia and New Caledonia.
“We are a power that does not intend to enter in a confrontational strategy. So, in this unstable world, Asia, in our view, must remain a zone of stability, and France is very attached to the centrality of Asean.
“So, this is why we are here in the Indo-Pacific,” he said, adding that these missions aim to achieve security, peace and stability, all of which are conditions for prosperity.
He also emphasised the importance of Malaysia’s role as chair of Asean, stating that France “hopes for a lot of progress and a lot of new initiatives”.
Commanding captain of the FS Forbin Aurelie Leouffre said the exercise, covering a broad spectrum of maritime security operations, will take place simultaneously in three areas in the Straits of Malacca and the Sunda Strait and Lombok in Indonesia.
As part of the Mission Clemenceau 25, the CSG comprising the Charles De Gaulle aircraft carrier, its carrier air wing and escort vessels will be operating near Malaysia and Indonesia this month.
“In the Straits of Malacca, the French Navy will engage an air defence destroyer, and the Royal Malaysian Navy will participate with one corvette and one offshore patrol vessel from Jan 16 to 24,” she said.
“The exercise will enable us to increase our interoperability and consolidate our cooperation mechanisms and processes.”
The French embassy also highlighted the ongoing military cooperation between France and Malaysia, with defence industry cooperation reaching “high-end levels” and Malaysia acquiring military equipment from French companies.
“Malaysia and France are long-standing defence partners, and France highly values its defence cooperation with Malaysia, a collaboration nourished by high-level meetings.”
The CSG is currently deployed in the Indian Ocean, where joint training operation “La Perouse” is being carried out with allies in the region. The CSG will later sail to the Pacific Ocean for the Pacific Steller exercise.
Meanwhile, at the waterfront Esplanade, members of the FS Forbin crew attended a ceremony at the memorial monument of the French destroyer Mousquet to pay tribute to the French sailors who fought off the coast of Penang on Oct 28, 1914.
