Macron and Lula Launch Submarine Built in Brazil with French Technology

French President Emmanuel Macron and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva inaugurated a submarine today, Wednesday, built in the South American country using French technology as part of a program aimed at constructing Brazil's first nuclear-powered submarine by the end of this decade. The two presidents attended the ceremony held at a shipyard in the Itaguai region near Rio de Janeiro, where a third diesel-powered submarine was launched, made under a partnership program valued at ten billion dollars. Brazil's submarine program began in 2008 during Lula's previous term and is a partnership with the state-owned French group Naval, in which French defense company Thales holds a 35 percent stake. The Brazilian government stated that its fleet of submarines is essential for defending the country's coastline of about 7,500 kilometers and for safeguarding the Atlantic waters where the country is developing significant offshore oil fields.