French carrier strike group led by nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle to arrive in India on January 4

New Delhi: The French Navy's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and its entire carrier strike group will visit Goa and Kochi from Saturday in what is being seen as a powerful demonstration of growing India-France strategic ties.

A carrier battle group or carrier strike group (CSG) is a mega naval fleet comprising an aircraft carrier, accompanied by a large number of destroyers, frigates and other ships.

At present, the French CSG is deployed in the Indian Ocean where it is conducting joint training sessions with its regional partners and allies, including India.

India has been France's foremost strategic partner since 1998, a French readout said, announcing the CSG's visit to the country.

Deployed in the Indian Ocean as part of Mission CLEMENCEAU 25, the French carrier strike group, comprising the aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle, its embarked air fleet and escort vessels (frigates and supply ships), will be making stopovers in Goa and Kochi from January 4, the French embassy said.

Maritime cooperation between India and France has witnessed a major expansion in the last few years.

"Currently, the CSG is deployed in the Indian Ocean, where it is conducting joint training sessions with its regional partners and allies, notably India, before moving on to the Indonesian zone for exercise La Perouse, and then to the Pacific Ocean for exercise Pacific Steller," the embassy said.

It also highlighted the growing strategic partnership between India and France.

"India has been France's foremost strategic partner since 1998, and the excellent Indo-French military cooperation is characterised by numerous bilateral exercises such as Shakti on land, Varuna at sea and Garuda in air," the embassy said in the readout.

India also plays host for numerous operational stopovers made by French Navy vessels, accounting for 16 port calls since 2022, it noted.

During Mission CLEMENCEAU 25, the Charles de Gaulle CSG and Indian navy ships will take part in the 42nd annual Varuna bilateral exercise.

The aim of this aero-naval training is to develop interoperability between the two navies and prepare crews to deal with a multi-milieu threat in the domains of air, surface and submarine.

"As resident nations of the Indian Ocean, France and India regularly cooperate to contribute to maritime safety in the region," the embassy said.

"Since 2008, France has been a member of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), which was initiated by India, and brings together 25 navies from countries of the Indian Ocean," it said.

The aim of this forum is to increase collective effectiveness in tackling a range of maritime issues, including illegal trafficking, illegal fishing, search and rescue at sea, and pollution.

France took over presidency of the forum from 2021 to 2023.

"In the Indian Ocean, France is actively involved in a number of missions: the European ATALANTA operation to combat piracy and drug trafficking, the international naval coalition Combined Task Force 150 to combat illicit trafficking, and more recently the European Union's (EU) ASPIDES operation to ensure maritime safety and freedom of navigation from Suez to Hormuz," the embassy said.

Operation Atlanta is a critical maritime security operation under the EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP).