Mistral built for Russia can be used to rescue migrants

Former Minister of Transport of France, a member of the National Assembly Thierry Mariani (Thierry Mariani) believes that the “Mistral”, which Russia has ordered, can be resold to the European Union. According to Le Figaro, the ex-head of the ministry proposed on Wednesday, May 20, the government of the country exactly this way of resolving the situation.

In his opinion, if it is impossible to transfer helicopter carriers to Moscow, they can be used to rescue migrants in the Mediterranean (illegal immigrants from North Africa often try to move to Europe on overcrowded ships, which often suffer distress). “This would save a lot of lives (...) And if tomorrow there is a crisis in the Mediterranean [African or Middle Eastern country] going out to the Mediterranean Sea, you can send ships to save European citizens,” said Mariani.

In early May, Le Figaro, citing a source in military circles, wrote that the French authorities do not exclude the possibility of destroying the Mistral, built for Russia. "They will either be dismantled and disposed of, or flooded on the high seas," the publication suggested. Rebuilding ships for use by the French Navy is estimated at hundreds of millions of euros and is considered unlikely by experts.

Later, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin noted that the French side cannot make decisions on the sale of helicopter carriers to anyone without Russia's consent. “Our feed parts. We have them UPC - end-user certificate, - said the deputy chairman of the government. “Without our permission, they cannot do anything.”

According to the terms of the contract for the construction of two Mistral-type ships worth 1,2 billion euros concluded in June 2011, the first helicopter carrier (Vladivostok) France was to transfer to Russia 2014 in November, the deadline for the delivery of Sevastopol is 1 November November 2015 of the year.

In April, French President Francois Hollande said that Paris would either deliver and receive money for it, or reimburse customers. At the same time, the decision on the fate of the helicopter carriers has not yet been made.