France has made a decision to name an official in charge of holding negotiations with Moscow on the issue of the Mistral-class helicopter carriers.
According to the Paris Match weekly news magazine, the decision has been announced by French President Francois Hollande. Louis Gautier, who heads an important government body, the General Secretariat for Defense and National Security (SGDSN), will be tasked with the effort. Gautier has led the secretariat, which is under the supervision of the French prime minister, since October 2014. He is a prominent French expert on the issue of defense and armed forces.
