Egypt, France Conduct Joint Naval Drills in Mediterranean Sea

On Thursday, the Egyptian and French naval forces have jointly conducted naval drills in the Mediterranean Sea with the participation of Egypt’s Tahya Misr frigate and France’s LATOUCHE – TREVILLE frigate, according to the Egyptian army.

In a statement, the official spokesperson of the Egyptian Army said that the drill comes within the framework of the general command of the Armed Forces’ plan to enhance the level of training and the exchange of expertise with the armed forces of friendly countries.

These joint naval drills also come at a time when Egypt, Greece, France, and Cyprus are at odds with Turkey over the latter’s interference in Libya and their oil exploration activities in the eastern Mediterranean.

The drills involved many professional activities focused on organizing cooperation while implementing combat missions in the sea against hostile naval formations, with training on the use of weapons while engaging surface and aerial targets in addition to carrying out confrontational battles with the use of seaborne aircraft.

The naval drill also included simulations of protecting a ship of special importance while crossing a dangerous area, as well as training on the measures taken by warships of different countries to protect maritime economic zones.

It also demonstrated the professionalism of the frigate crews in carrying out combat missions with precision and high efficiency, focusing on common coordination points between all the participating elements.

The training aims to support the pillars of cooperation between the Egyptian and French armed forces, enhance the skills and capabilities of participating forces, and maintain maritime security, stability and peace efforts in the Mediterranean.

The drills focused on organizing cooperation in carrying out maritime combat missions against hostile naval formations, the statement said.

The statement added that “these drills come in the framework of supporting the pillars of joint cooperation between the Egyptian and French armed forces, and identifying the latest fighting systems and methods in a manner that contributes to honing skills and combat and operational experiences and supporting efforts of maritime security, stability and peace in the Mediterranean.”