French warship to make port visit in Batumi, Georgia
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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.
Macron sent a letter to his Georgian counterpart Giorgi Margvelashvili on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the restoration of diplomatic relations between France and Georgia.
This is a choice in support of a strong France, Europe
Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili and Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili have congratulated Emmanuel Macron on winning the French presidential election.
Defence partnership between Georgia and France will be on the agenda for defence ministers of the two countries meeting in Paris over the next two days.
Georgia’s airspace will be increasingly protected over the next two years under an agreement with France that includes providing the Georgian Armed Forces with new air defence equipment and personnel training.
Six people have gone on a hunger strike in Georgia’s western seaside town of Batumi opposing a reorganisation of employee structure at Batumi Port. Two of them have been taken to hospital due to health-related issues today.
Georgia’s Black Sea port of Poti is hosting a group of military vessels of NATO member states, as the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 is set to hold sea manoeuvres with their Georgian counterparts this week.
HNLMS Evertsen of the Royal Netherlands Navy, TCG Yildirim of the Turkish Navy, BGS Drazki of the Bulgarian Navy and ROS Regele Ferdinand of the Romanian Naval Forces are part of the group led by Commodore Boudewijn Boots.