North Fleet unit exercises jointly with French frigate Latouche-Treville
MOSCOW. Jan 15 (Interfax-AVN) - A North Fleet unit led by the Admiral Kuznetsov heavy aircraft carrying cruiser and routed to the Strait of Gibraltar held joint exercises with the French frigate Latouche-Treville in southeastern areas of the Bay of Biscay after it had passed through the English Channel, the French Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.
"After first contact was established by the ships in the English Channel, the French and Russian ships practiced interaction in the Golfe de Gascogne [the French name for the southeastern areas of the Bay of Biscay] for three days," the ministry reported.
French helicopters Lynx and Helix landed on the Admiral Kuznetsov's deck, it said.
"The three days of fruitful and cordial exchanges with the Russian sailors demonstrated the intention of the fleets of both countries to develop bilateral cooperation," the ministry emphasized.
Five warships and vessels were engaged in the joint exercises, it said.
A French specialized website reported earlier that the Sergei Osipov tanker visited the French port of Brest on January 8. The ship was due to visit Toulon later, the website said.
The North Fleet unit departed on its long voyage on December 17, 2013. The unit led by the Admiral Kuznetsov includes the Admiral Levchenko destroyer, the Olenegorsky Gornyak large landing ship, the Nikolai Chiker tugboat and the Sergei Osipov and Kama tankers.
