According to the commander of the patrol ship "Commandant Birot", during the ship's presence in Angola, until Thursday, several joint maritime patrol and control exercises will be carried out in the Angolan sea.
Sébastien, who was speaking to the press about the ship's trip to Angola, with 100 sailors on board, stressed that irregularities were observed along the coast, with between two and three boats being sighted a day, citing Chinese vessels among them.
"We have identified fishing boats offshore, very close to the coast at about 40, 80 kilometers from the coast, which continue to fish illegally", he said, adding that the mission began three weeks ago, off the Congo, with six more to go. weeks of work off Guinea before returning to France.
The commander of the patrol vessel highlighted that, in relation to illegal fishing, there is a joint exercise in collaboration with the Angolan Navy, in terms of maritime patrol, to reinforce competences.
Regarding piracy, the French commander stated that the number of attacks has decreased in the last three years, being more focused off Nigeria, but it remains a concern.
In turn, the French ambassador to Angola considered that the presence of the "Commadant Birot" in Angolan territory materializes the quality and level of maritime cooperation between the two countries, particularly its security.
Daniel Vosgien, who was speaking to the press about the ship, said that France and the European Union (EU) are actively participating in the fight against risks and threats in Angola, namely illegal fishing, pollution and maritime piracy.
"France is at the side of the Government of Angola for the training of officers of the Angolan Navy, in the scope of maritime security", said the ambassador, noting that France is the only country that has a permanent security mission in the Gulf of Guinea, called Corimba mission within which the "Commandant Birot" is present in Luanda this week.
According to Daniel Vosgien, France and the EU combine their interests with the interests of the Gulf of Guinea countries, including Angola, with training proposals, operational actions and participate in the operationalization of the Yaoundé regional process.
The French diplomat also underlined the importance of sharing maritime information, namely knowledge about events at sea.
At the bilateral level in terms of defence, the French ambassador said that France wants to continue working with institutional actors in Central Africa that are capable of working on major defense domains on the African continent, namely Angola, including in the field of maritime security.
Daniel Vosgien also highlighted the cooperation between the two countries in the field of defense, which will be maintained and deepened, noting that in 2021 there were "many successes" with the training of 16 trainee officers in France and in regional schools, as well as teaching from the French language to one hundred students a year from the Angolan Armed Forces, through the Alliance Française in Luanda.
