A Dassault Aviation Rafale jet fighter performs during the International Paris Air Show in Le Bourget near Paris on June 23, 2017. (Source: AFP).

The French Air Force has organized and coordinated Mission PEGASE in the Indo-Pacific region, with the involvement of three Dassault Rafale fighters, one Airbus A400M strategic airlifter, one Boeing C-135FR Stratotanker, and one Airbus A310 passenger transport aircraft.

After taking part in the exercise Pitch Black during July 27-August 17 in Australia, on its return journey to France, the squadron was scheduled to visit Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, India, and the United Arab Emirates. The trip lasts from August 19 to September 4, with its Vietnamese visit taking place from August 26-28.

At the meeting, General Patrick Charaix, Commander of the PEGASE mission, said the French Government and Air Force attach importance to cooperation with Vietnam.

He stressed that the squadron’s ongoing visit to the country reflects sound bilateral defence ties and contributes to increasing France’s presence in the Asia-Pacific.

The Commander said of the 40 spheres for cooperation among countries, cybersecurity is a pressing issue which requires significant budget spending.

He said France, with its experience, can support Vietnam in training cybersecurity engineers and ensuring information safety. He noted that the two countries can also collaborate and exchange experience regarding the UN peacekeeping mission.

Agreeing with his guest on the cybersecurity challenges, Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung said the Vietnamese capital city is willing to invest in technology serving human resources training in the sector.

Crew-members of a Mission PEGASE aircraft pose for a photo at the Noi Bai International Airport (Photo: VNA).

Chung noted the visit of the French squadron takes place amid the two countries marking their 45 years of bilateral relations (1973-2018) and five years of strategic partnership (2013-2018).

He informed the Commander on a series of joint projects between Hanoi and French partners, including a pact signed with Toulouse city on cooperation in culture, tourism, and restoration of French buildings in Hanoi. He also mentioned the city’s collaboration with the French Development Agency in the construction of the Hanoi train station-Nhon urban railway project (Route No. 3).

The Hanoi leader said he hopes the visit will help boost the exchange of experience between Vietnamese and French air forces in contribution to the Vietnam-France strategic partnership.

Source: VNA