Captain Xavier Bagot, Commanding Officer of the Aquitaine-class frigate Lorraine, was welcomed by Philippine Navy officials upon their arrival at the South Harbor of Manila.
Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad, the Deputy Commander of the Philippine Fleet met
Capt Xavier Bagot discussed possible future activities and collaborations, according to Captain Benjo Negranza, director of the Naval Public Affairs office.
“They also talked about previous naval exercises,” he told Naval News.
Lorraine is the eighth and final Aquitaine-class frigate for the French Navy and the second one in the Air Defense (FREMM DA) variant. She was delivered to the French Navy in November 2022. She departed her homeport of Toulon (Southern France) on April 8 to conduct her “long duration deployment”.
In a statement, Trinidad assured Capt. Bagot of the Philippine Navy’s cooperation.
“The invitation will always be there for the French Navy. We will always welcome you. You should be part of every exercise that we have.” he said.
The French Navy in 2021 has joined in the “Sama-Sama” exercise along with United States and Philippine Navies to enhance interoperability and strengthen maritime security capabilities in the region.
In Manila, the French Embassy said the visit of the French Navy destroyer was intended to “contribute to regional security by projecting assets from those islands in the region or coming from Europe.”
At the same time, the Embassy cited the FS Lorraine, in the country until June 29, was on a long-duration regional security deployment.
“France intends to contribute to regional security by projecting assets from those islands in the region or coming from Europe,” the embassy said.
The port coincided with the official visit on June 26 in the country of Rear Admiral Geoffroy d’Andigné, joint commander of the French Armed Forces in the Asia-Pacific Zone.
“It came at the heels of China’s continued aggression in the South China Sea and incursion into the West Philippine Sea,” the Embassy said.
Tense moments between Philippine Coast Guard and Chinese Coast Guards have been happening from time to time in the contested waters in the South China Sea as China has competing claims in the South China Sea with the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam.
In February this year, a contentious incident unfolded between the Philippines and China in the vicinity of the Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratlys. The Philippines lodged a complaint, alleging that China had engaged in dangerous maneuvers and directed a laser at one of its vessels, the BRP Malapascua, resulting in temporary blindness for the crew members.
However, China refuted these allegations and offered a different perspective, explaining the Philippine ship had “intruded into the waters” near the Spratly islands without Chinese permission.
In 2016, an international tribunal ruled in favor of the Philippines and against the sweeping “nine-dash line” by which Beijing asserts its maritime claims in the strategic waterway, but China has refused to acknowledge the ruling.
