France in the Indo-Pacific: Opportunities for Cooperation with Chile
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On Thursday, May 16, 2024, AthenaLab and the French military attaché in Chile organized the seminar “France and Chile: Opportunities for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific” at AthenaLab’s offices in Valparaíso, in the context of the visit of the Tonnerre and Guépratte vessels of the French Marine Nationale to our country. On this occasion, experts from academia, the armed forces, and the governments of both countries explored the perspectives of France and Chile regarding the Indo-Pacific and its implications in various areas, such as climate change, commercial navigation, Antarctic projection, and strategic competition among powers.
As is well known, France shares a special characteristic with Chile, which is territorial presence on different continents: Antarctica, Oceania (Polynesia), and South America (French Guiana). France, due to its political and economic weight (being a member of the United Nations Security Council, NATO, the European Union, and the G-7), thus has a role in Latin America, a region that is “euro-compatible.” The meeting organized by AthenaLab allowed for a clearer understanding of this role, with a view to increasing cooperation in areas of common interest with Chile.
The helicopter carrier Tonnerre and the frigate Guépratte departed on February 19 from the port of Toulon (its naval base) and have carried out assistance missions in Haiti (evacuating French citizens and reinforcing diplomatic posts). In the Americas, they have made stops on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, conducting amphibious exercises in Brazil and Chile. The stops on their journey include: French Guiana (Cayenne), Brazil (Belém, Rio de Janeiro), Argentina (Buenos Aires and Ushuaia), Chile (Puerto Williams and Valparaíso); Peru (Lima), Colombia (Cartagena), Martinique (Fort de France), the United States (Norfolk), and Saint-Pierre et Miquelon (a French overseas territory located off the east coast of Canada).
The Tonnerre carries a tactical sub-group of the French Army, composed of soldiers and various types of vehicles for amphibious operations, in addition to two helicopters. The Guépratte, for its part, is the only frigate of the La Fayette class whose crew includes women.
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SPECIAL DOCUMENT | “Repositioning South America on the French Indo-Pacific Map” (IFRI) / “Europe Facing the Indo-Pacific: Ambitions and Realities” (AthenaLab)
The visit of the Tonnerre and Guépratte vessels of the French Marine Nationale to the coasts of Chile became an excellent opportunity to reflect on the role of European navies in the Indo-Pacific theater. IFRI researcher Céline Pajon and AthenaLab Executive Director Juan Pablo Toro write about this.
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