France is beefing up its defense ties with Brazil — shored up by President Emmanuel Macron’s first state visit to the country.
The cooperation between the two was highlighted Wednesday when Brazilian first lady Janja Lula da Silva smashed a bottle of champagne on the bow of the submarine Tonelero, and then Macron and his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva pulled a ceremonial lever to launch the vessel.
The Scorpène-class submarine was built for the Brazilian navy by Brazil’s Itaguaí Construções Navais (ICN) using technology transferred by France’s Naval Group. ICN is a joint venture between the Brazilian government and Naval Group, which owns a 41 percent stake.