Vice Admiral Gilles Boidevezi, visited EUNAVFORMED IRINI OHQ
Commander-in-chief of French Forces in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea – Vice Admiral Gilles Boidevezi, visited EUNAVFORMED IRINI Operation Headquarters
A warm Welcome back to Vice Admiral Boidevezi who, from 2017 to 2018, was Deputy Commander of the EUNAVFOR MED during Operation Sophia. Today as, Commander-in-Chief of the French Forces in the Mediterranean and Black Sea and Maritime Prefect for the French Mediterranean Region, or CECMED, he visited Operation IRINI OHQ in Rome and met the Operation Commander Rear Admiral Stefano Turchetto.
After a short update on the state of play of the Operation and the results achieved, the two Admirals had a fruitful vis-à-vis meeting and shared their views and perspectives on several topics including the Security Challenges and foreseeable new Maritime Scenarios for the Mediterranean Region.
Vice Admiral Boidevezi had a tour of the Headquarters Joint Operation Centre, the pulsing heart of IRINI. He appreciated live, in real time, how ITS GRECALE, HS THEMISTOCLES, and the French Patrol Vessel COMMANDANT BLAISON, actual naval component of IRINI’s Task Force, operate. IRINI is supporting the implementation of the United Nations arms embargo on Libya, the prevention of illicit export of oil and the disruption of the human smuggling business model and trafficking.
Finally, at the end of the visit, Vice Admiral Boidevezi wanted to meet and thank the French personnel brilliantly serving at the OHQ.
