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France considers Indonesia important in Indo-Pacific region
The French Navy considers Indonesia as a priority in conducting port visits in the Indo-Pacific region and would include the country in the next midshipman tour.
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Working together: Real Adm. Eric Malbruno, deputy planning and programs of the French Navy chief of staff, delivers a presentation to international journalists during a press tour on French naval industries in Paris on Sept. 13.
(JP/Novan Iman Santosa)
T
he French Navy considers Indonesia as a priority in conducting port visits in the Indo Pacific region and would include the country in the next midshipman tour.
Real Adm. Eric Malbruno, deputy planning and programs of the French Navy chief of staff, said that considering the size and importance of Indonesia, it was one of the countries France was looking forward to having a port visit to in the future.
"A midshipman tour is being planned to make a port visit again in Indonesia -- hopefully in the first semester of 2023," he said.
Malbrunot was speaking at a media briefing, a part of a press tour on French naval capabilities and industrial bases. The trip was held ahead of the 2022 Euronaval maritime exhibition in October.
Malbrunot said there had been a plan to make a port visit to Surabaya, East Java, in 2020 but it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The last port visit by the French Navy to Indonesia was in April 2018 when the Jeanne d'Arc training task force -- consisting of the Mistral-class Dixmude landing helicopter dock (LHD) and the La Fayette-class Surcouf stealthy frigate -- visited Jakarta.
Dixmude, which also served as a command ship, and Surcouf then sailed to Bali to participate in the multilateral naval Komodo Exercise in nearby Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara.
