French Ambassador Salina Grenet-Catalano expressed her gratitude to the Cypriot authorities for the continuous service of French naval warships from social media accounts. Speaking at a press conference, the commander of flagship Guillaume Pinget said Limassol is a familiar place for sailors. They are happy to rest after three months of leaving their base in Toulon and three weeks in the Persian Gulf.
The Commander of the Task Force, Admiral Marc Aussedat, explained the objectives and activities of the “Clemenceau 21” mission planned in three phases, with the first taking place in the Mediterranean, the second in the Indian Ocean and the third also in the Mediterranean Sea.
The ‘Charles de Gaulle’ is home to 1,200 sailors, 500 marines and about 100 naval officers while carrying 20 Rafale fighter jets, two E-2C Hawkeye aircraft, Caïman and Dauphin Pedro helicopters.
In a few weeks, the Admiral also said that Charles De Gaulle’s naval strike force would meet for the first time with the British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth and its task force in the western Mediterranean.
