A senior officer in the French Navy expressed his fear of conflicts in the Mediterranean, coming from the Persian Gulf and Asia, that might be caused by the competition of the Russians and the Turks and their increasing presence in the region, and the conflict between Iran and Israel might lead to them, and perhaps the tension between China and the United States might be driven by the presence of military and economic interests They are in the Mediterranean, which accounts for 30% of global oil traffic and 25% of commercial shipping traffic and is crossed by 100 million passengers every year.

Assistant Admiral Laurent Isnar in charge of the Mediterranean made these statements in an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde.

It is reported that Isnar led and carried out several missions, such as the "Courbet" incident, in which a Turkish frigate nearly attacked a French frigate while it was trying to search a Turkish cargo ship suspected of violating the arms embargo on Libya.

Isnar pointed out that the relations between the Turkish Navy and the French Navy are well-established, polite and professional despite this incident, and stressed that he visited Ankara himself within the framework of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and that France has ships docked in Turkey in exchange for Turkish ships docked in Toulon, explaining that each party knows its limits.

fierce competition

Isnar said that the reasons that led to this crisis have not disappeared yet because countries such as Russia or Turkey continue to put themselves in the logic of competition that does not avoid confrontation, even if this means ignoring and objecting to international law, pointing to their presence in Libya despite the request of the Libyans and the Council of Ministers. UN Security Withdrawal of Foreign Forces.

He warned of the possibility of importing more external crises into the Mediterranean, especially from the Arab Gulf and Asia, with new players that have no borders on this sea, and he set an example with Iran and China in their conflicts with the United States and Israel.

In his assessment of the "IRINI" operation launched by the European Union in 2020 to implement the arms embargo imposed on Libya, Isnar said that his country contributed two ships and a number of planes, and that the results are somewhat positive because the operation revealed ships that violate the embargo, and the rest is up to the political authorities to derive the consequences. .

He adds that the Black Sea is part of his area of ​​responsibility, but it is not the only place under pressure.

He pointed out that the meetings he has with Russia are professional, noting that there are planes that sometimes fly near our ships, but they are generally acceptable.

Beijing is a potential player

When asked about China's gradual emergence in the Mediterranean, Isnar explained that "this presence is of interest, although it is almost limited to the economic aspect, if we exclude the Chinese navy's crossing of this sea on a military level two years ago," with his understanding of the option of securing their investments from During a more visible military presence, "this means that Beijing is a potential player in the region, and we are working on this hypothesis."

As for the American presence in the Mediterranean, Isnar believes that it has diminished due to the transfer of part of their capabilities to Asia, noting that France knows how to dispense with them, although "we work very well together, and we have a form of role distribution and information exchange." .

When asked about areas in the Mediterranean that France cannot go to, Isnar stressed that he does not know areas in the Black or White Sea that are prohibited to the French armies, and explained that they go everywhere, on the basis of the Montego Bay agreement.