Greater Middle East (bbabo.net), - Egyptian and Greek air forces conducted a joint MENA-II exercise involving multi-role combat aircraft. This was reported by Al-Ahram on December 2. The exercises are held as part of the support and strengthening of military cooperation with friendly and fraternal countries, said the official representative of the Egyptian Armed Forces, Gharib Abdel-Hafez.
The training included listening to a number of theoretical lectures on the unification of concepts, the development of skills and the coordination of joint operations in modern air combat.
Multi-role fighters flew joint sorties to train attacks on enemy targets and effectively protect vital installations. The exercise showed how high the level of professionalism in all tasks has reached the Greek and Egyptian personnel, said Abdel-Hafez. The exercise "reflects the degree to which the air forces of both countries have advanced professional and technical capabilities that allow them to operate together in various circumstances," he added.
According to the Egyptian military, MENA-II is the continuation of a series of joint exercises conducted in light of the growing partnership and military cooperation between the Egyptian and Greek armed forces in various fields.
The MEDUSA-12 exercise lasted several days in the Mediterranean last month, with Cypriot, Saudi Arabian and US forces taking part. Also present were observers from the UAE, Bahrain, Jordan, Germany, France, Romania, Congo and Morocco.
In August, Egyptian and Greek navies conducted joint exercises in the Mediterranean Sea within range of the Egyptian Northern Fleet.
According to the Egyptian military, the exercises facilitated the exchange of experience with the Greek navy and helped both sides achieve common goals and maintain maritime security and stability in the region.
It is worth noting that Cairo and Athens are developing cooperation across the entire azimuth and spectrum of bilateral relations. Earlier, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the field of aeronautics and maritime search and rescue operations was signed by the Minister of National Defense of Greece Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos and the Minister of Defense of Egypt Mohamed Zaki. This memorandum actually undermines the Turkish-Libyan agreements, which are considered "illegal" in Egypt and Greece.
In early November, Nemesis 2022 military exercises were held off the coast of Cyprus with the participation of eight countries (Cyprus, Greece, France, Great Britain, the USA, Israel, Italy and Egypt) in order to increase the readiness of the island its allies to adequately respond to emergencies in the Cyprus shelf, where large reserves of natural gas have been discovered.
The dispute between Egypt and Greece on the one hand and Turkey on the other originates in November 2019. In November 2019, Turkey signed a maritime border agreement with Libya. France, which has repeatedly declared its support for Greece in the dispute with Turkey, has now joined the joint diplomatic demarche of Cairo and Athens regarding the Turkish-Libyan deal. Greece, Egypt and Cyprus say the 2019 deal violates their economic rights in an area containing vast natural gas reserves.
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