Egypt's naval forces go on amphibious exercises in the Mediterranean

CAIRO - 4 January 2020: The Egyptian naval forces conducted a large-scale amphibious exercise in the Mediterranean Sea, amid escalating tensions in the region after Turkey’s parliament agreed to send military troops to Libya.

The Egyptian naval forces used French-manufactured Mistral class helicopter carrier, which is known as ENS Gamal Abdel Nasser, Gowind-class corvettes, Perry-class frigates, and 209-class diesel-electric attack submarine, said the Egyptian Ministry of Defense in a statement on Saturday.


Various types of helicopters such as F-16, Apache, Chinook and Kamov were used by air forces in the drills- Press photo


A number of forces of the anti-submarine units and special naval forces participated in the exercises, the statement added, noting that various types of helicopters such as F-16, Apache, Chinook and Kamov were used by air forces in the drills.

Another group of thunderbolts and parachutting forces, along with forces of the Northern Military Region in Alexandria took part in the maneuvers, the statement continued.


Egyptian naval forces conducted a large-scale amphibious exercise in the Mediterranean Sea- Press photo



The exercises were attended by Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces Mohamed Farid and Chief of Navy Force Ahmed Khaled, besides a number of leaders of the Armed Forces.

On January 2, 2020, the Turkish Parliament voted or Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s proposal to send Turkish troops to Libya after Erdogan and Head of the Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayez al-Sarraj reached a deal in February 2019 on drawing maritime borders in the Mediterranean Sea- one of the largest natural gas resources in the region- and on enhancing military cooperation.


Egyptian naval forces conducted a large-scale amphibious exercise in the Mediterranean Sea- Press photo


The deal provoked anger in Egypt, Cyprus and Greece, which voiced their rejection of the deal as it contradicts with the international agreements. “Egypt affirms that such memoranda possess no legal effect, as they cannot be recognized in light of the fact that Article 8 of the Sukhirat Political Agreement on Libya, widely accepted by Libyans, defines the competences conferred to the Council of Ministers, expressly stipulating that the Council of Ministers as an entity – and not the president of the council alone – has the power to conclude international agreements,” the Egyptian Foreign Ministry earlier said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Libyan Parliament held Saturday an emergency session, in which it voted on a bundle of decisions, including the rejection of the deals inked between the GNA and Turkey.

The parliament voted unanimously on authorizing the General Commander of the Libyan National Army Khalifa Haftar to disable airports, ports, and land gates that are controlled by the militias.

The parliament further agreed to address the UN Security Council, the League of Arab States, the African Union, the European Union and other international organizations to withdraw the recognition of the GNA.