Senior Minister of State for Defence Mr Heng Chee How met Minister of State reporting to the French Minister of the Armed Forces Geneviève Darrieussecq on the sidelines of the 53rd International Paris Air Show (PAS) this afternoon (SG time). During the meeting, Mr Heng and Ms Darrieussecq reaffirmed the two countries' commitment to strengthening bilateral defence cooperation in areas such as defence technology, counter-terrorism, and Air Force and Navy cooperation. They also discussed geopolitical and security developments of mutual interest. Ms Darrieussecq also reaffirmed France's commitment to security in the Asia-Pacific region.

At the invitation of the French Ministry of the Armed Forces, Mr Heng attended the opening ceremony of the 53rd PAS and visited the exhibits on display yesterday afternoon (SG time). Mr Heng also met President of the Senate Committee for Foreign Affairs, Defence and Armed Forces Christian Cambon last evening (SG time), as well as President of the National Defence and Armed Forces of the National Assembly Jean-Jacques Bridey earlier today.

As part of his visit to France, Mr Heng will also visit the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF)'s Advanced Jet Training detachment, 150 Squadron, at Cazaux Air Base on 19 June 2019. The detachment was established in 1998 and celebrated its 20th anniversary last year.

Mr Heng's visit underscores the strong and broad-based defence relationship between Singapore and France. Both armed forces and defence establishments conduct regular professional exchanges and high-level interactions including joint military exercises, cross-attendance of courses and dialogues. In addition, Singapore and France have a range of bilateral defence technology interactions and exchanges, including the Singapore and France Advanced Research Initiative (SAFARI) meetings. These wide-ranging interactions have strengthened the friendship and mutual understanding between both countries.