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Black Sea Fleet’s coast guard warship rounds off visit to France’s Toulon

'Smetlivy' returns to perform tasks in the Mediterranean Sea

MOSCOW, November 19, /ITAR-TASS/. The Russian Black Sea Fleet’s coast guard warship Smetlivy from the Russian permanent naval task force in the Mediterranean Sea has rounded off a 3-day courtesy visit to the French main naval base in the city of Toulon on Tuesday, head of the information support department of the Russian Black Sea Fleet Captain First Rank Vyacheslav Trukhachev told Itar-Tass.

“According to the protocol chief of the naval mission Captain First Rank Pavel Yasnitsky and Commander of the coast guard warship Smetlivy Captain Second Rank Andrei Zaitsev visited the deputy mayor of the French city and the assistant commander of the naval base Toulon. Russian naval officers also visited the commander of the French Navy in the Mediterranean Sea region,” Trukhachev said.

In his words, during the anchorage of the warship in Toulon the coast guard warship Smetlivy and the French naval frigate Jean Bart, which is the host warship, have made an exchange of the chief cabins. Russian and French naval sailors have played an exhibition football match. The cultural program arranged for the crew of the Russian warship has given an opportunity to visit the cities of Marseille, Nice and Cannes.

Upon the end of the visit at the Toulon naval base The Smetlivy “keeps performing the tasks in the Mediterranean Sea,” the Black Sea Fleet’s official said. He recalled that the Russian warship had earlier participated in the events of the Russian Week on the Ionian Islands and represented Russia at Russian-Italian naval exercises Ioniex-2013.