French Minister of the Armed Forces and Carrier Strike Group in Singapore for the Shangri-La Dialogue [fr]

Minister Parly at the Shangri-La Dialogue

Florence Parly, Minister of the Armed Forces, was in Singapore on 1st June 2019 to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue, an international conference dedicated to security and defence in the Indo-Pacific region.

A geopolitical and strategic meeting not to be missed, the Shangri-La Dialogue gathers every year political and military authorities from around 50 countries. The Minister of the Armed Forces delivered an address on the evolution of security situation and the French defence strategy in the indo-pacific area. This strategy is a straight continuation of the founding speech pronounced on 2nd May 2018 by Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, at Garden Island in Australia.

Florence Parly also met with Singaporean authorities and her counterparts from the region. She also met the crew of the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, deployed in the frame of the “Mission Clemenceau” since 3 months and which was anchored in Singapore in conjunction with the Shangri-La Dialogue.

The French aircraft carrier in Singapore

The aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle leads the « Mission Clemenceau » since last 5th March, date of its departure from Toulon, and until mid-July.

During its deployment, the aircraft carrier contributed to the protection of the French by joining the global coalition against Daesh in the frame of Inherent Resolve operation. It also shares its expertise regarding air and sea operations by training with numerous strategic local partners in the Asia-Pacific zone including the United States, India, Australia, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore. It is the aircraft carrier’s second stop in Singapore since 2002.

The “Mission Clemenceau” is a powerful catalyst for France’s international cooperation and influence. It supports France’s defence strategy in the indo-pacific area where maritime stakes, including European imports, are critical.

During its stopover in Singapore, the aircraft carrier hosted over 2000 visitors and officials. The Charles de Gaulle FS also received members of the fourth Southeast Asian Young Leader’s Programme. This programme is part of the Shangri-La Dialogue and provides young leaders an opportunity to build links with each other and to discuss important security challenges affecting their region and the wider world.

France’s Defence Strategy in the Indo-Pacific area

This area, which spreads from eastern African coasts to the western Americas coasts, is of strategic interest for France. France is indeed a legitimate and established actor in the region, with almost 1.6 million of citizens living in the region, overseas territories housing several permanent military bases and major economic interests in the area.

In an evolving geostrategic environment, France aims to fully contribute to the strategic stability of the indo-pacific area by reaffirming the importance of multilateral dialogue, the role of the institutions and collective security organs and the central importance of the respect of international law.

Finally, it is also an area directly affected by climate change issues: sea-level rise, natural disasters. France, which has the world’s second largest Economic Exclusive Zone, sees climatic issues as a priority as much for its citizens’ protection than for marine ecosystems’ protection.

Speech by Minister Parly at the Shangri-La Dialogue

Click here to read France’s Minister of the Armed Forces’ speech at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue 2019 and here to read the Q&A transcript.

To learn more about France’s Defence strategy in the indo-pacific region, click here.