Saudi Arabia and Egypt ready to buy French Mistral

(Baonghean.vn) - According to an official source, both Saudi Arabia and Egypt have expressed their desire to buy back two Mistral warships that France built for Russia not long ago.

The fate of the two Mistral warships remains uncertain. Photo: AFP.

During a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah Al Sissi after the inauguration of the expanded Suez Canal on August 6, French President Francois Hollande said the two leaders discussed prospects for deepening the strategic partnership between the two countries. Among the issues mentioned in the conversation was Cairo becoming a bidder to buy two warships that France had previously built for Russia.

Not only Egypt, King Salman of Saudi Arabia has expressed his desire to build a force comparable to that of Egypt as well as some other countries in the Red Sea and Mediterranean region. Therefore, it is not difficult to understand why Saudi Arabia wants to own a Mistral for its navy. In addition to these two countries, Canada and Singapore are also considered potential partners in purchasing Mistral warships.

However, Paris has so far been reluctant to comment on its options for reselling the Mistrals, the two warships whose delivery was canceled by Russia. In a statement to the press on August 6, Mr. Hollande only confirmed the search for other partners, saying that France “will not have difficulty finding a partner to buy the Mistrals.”

Chu Thanh

(According to Le Monde)