French warship to make port visit in Batumi, Georgia

As part of the bilateral Georgian-French defence cooperation, Guepratte, a multi-mission frigate of the French Navy will make a stopover in the Black Sea coastal resort of Batumi in Georgia from November 22-25.

The ship will be met with a welcoming ceremony at the Batumi port tomorrow.

After the ceremony, French Ambassador to Georgia Pascal Meunier and Guepratte Commander Jacques Mallard will meet local authorities and officials of the Georgian coastguard department.

The same day, the frigate crew will visit Batumi State University to meet French-speaking students there, the French Embassy said.

Meanwhile, French sailors and Georgian coastguards will take advantage of this stopover to train together. Joint diving, search and rescue, firefighting and waterway exercises will take place on November 23 and 24.

A friendly football match between France and Georgia will take place on Friday.

The French frigate will leave Batumi on November 25.