Türkiye, Egypt will hold first joint naval drills in 13 years

ANKARA

Türkiye and Egypt will hold joint naval drills for the first time in 13 years, the Turkish Defense Ministry said on Sept. 18, as ties between the two countries continue to warm.

The exercises — dubbed Friendship Sea — will take place in the eastern Mediterranean between Sept. 22-26. They will include Turkish frigates, fast attack vessels, a submarine and F-16 fighter jets, alongside Egyptian naval units, the ministry said.

The two navies’ top commanders are expected to attend a high-level observer day on Sept. 25, it added, underscoring the importance of the exercise after more than a decade of strained ties.

Relations between Türkiye and Egypt soured a decade ago following the latter's 2023 military coup that ousted President Mohammed Morsi during mass protests.

Ties between Ankara and Cairo were also strained over their diverging policies on Libya and the eastern Mediterranean.

The two countries agreed to repair relations and reappoint ambassadors in 2023, and there have been several visits between Turkish and Egyptian leaders and officials since then.

Both countries have also taken a firm stance against Israel’s military operations in Gaza, working together for a ceasefire.

Meanwhile, Greece and Libya's U.N.-recognized government have agreed to hold talks to resolve a long-running dispute over their respective exclusive economic zones in the Mediterranean Sea, Athens said on Sept. 17.

The Greek Foreign Ministry said the agreement came during a visit to Athens by Libya's Foreign Minister Taher Salem Al Baour.

"The two ministers announced the start of the process for the delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone between Greece and Libya," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Lana Zohiou said in a statement.

After the first session on Sept. 17, the next meeting is set to be in Tripoli, the Libyan capital, she added.

Greece this month sent the United Nations a letter, rejecting Libya's claims to date, which stretch over areas south of Crete that Athens has earmarked for hydrocarbon exploration.

The north African country is still plagued by division and instability after years of unrest following the NATO-backed uprising that toppled longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.