The geostrategic importance of the port of Alexandroupolis was underlined by the French ambassador to Greece, Patrick Maisonnave, in an interview with the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA) released on Tuesday. From the French frigate FREMM Languedoc, of the French navy, which docked on Monday in the port of the capital of Evros, the French ambassador told ANA-MPA that the frigate's arrival at the port constitutes another aspect of Greek-French defence cooperation and is considered very important.
Expressing his satisfaction at visiting Alexandroupolis for the second time in the space of a few weeks, he described the city as a very important port. He noted that its proximity to the Bosporus Strait endows it with a particularly strategic role, especially now due to the war in Ukraine. A war that, as he said, "is very close to us" while noting that France's presence there shows its support and solidarity. Recognising the difficulty and complexity of Greece's role, he estimated that through the presence of the French navy in Alexandroupolis, another opportunity is given to prove France's support for Greece, a country that the French, as he said, love very much.
Cooperation with Greece and its navy is very important
The role of Alexandroupolis and the importance of Greek-French cooperation, and especially between the naval forces of the two countries, was praised by the captain of the French frigate Claire Pothier. As confirmation of this good cooperation, he cited the moorings of more than 30 French vessels in other regions of the country, mainly in southern Greece, saying that the addition of northern Greece to the French naval stations was very important.
Regarding the frigate FREMM Languedoc, he clarified that it is one of three multi-mission frigates, which has been operating in the Eastern Mediterranean for the last month. It participates in operations both for France and allied countries around the world, lending assistance either within the framework of NATO or within the framework of the European Union.
The French ambassador was accompanied by the defence attaché of the French Embassy in Athens, Olivier Madiot.
In the meantime, in a post on social media, the president of the Port Authority, Kostas Hatzimichael, said: "Within the framework of the strategic partnership between Greece and France in defence and security and the safeguarding of common interests in the Eastern Mediterranean and Europe, we welcome the FREMM Frigate FS Languedoc of the French Navy to the port of Alexandroupolis."
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