The exercise has been carried out off the coast of Alexandria since November 4, with the aim of developing bilateral relations and increasing interoperability between the Egyptian and Turkish Navies.
During the exercise, various scenarios were made with the participation of air vehicles, SAT team, Amphibious Assault Team and 1st Class Diving Teams. In addition to TCG Anadolu, TCG Gaziantep frigate, TCG Meltem assault boat, 2 SH70 helicopters, 3 AH 1W attack helicopters, and 3 Bayraktar TB-3 unmanned aerial vehicles participated in the elite observer day of the exercise.
From the Egyptian Naval Forces Command, the multi-purpose amphibious ship Gamal Abdel Nasser and the ships M. Fahmy, El Fateh, Fouad Zekry, El Farouk and Al-Arish were present.
The Distinguished Observer Day of the exercise was observed by Naval Forces Commander Admiral Ercüment Tatlıoğlu, Egyptian Naval Forces Commander Vice Admiral Mahmud Adel Fawzy and their accompanying delegations.
Later, Tatlıoğlu and Fawzy visited the area on the ship where local and national weapons and vehicles were exhibited and received information.
"The exercise is a concrete indicator of the developing cooperation between Türkiye and Egypt in the Eastern Mediterranean."
In his speech here, Tatlıoğlu said that Türkiye and Egypt are the two most important countries of the Eastern Mediterranean and the wide geography with a common and deep-rooted history.
Stating that the historical and cultural ties between the two countries constitute a strong basis for the relations that develop today on the basis of mutual trust and common interests, Tatlıoğlu said, "The Eastern Mediterranean is gaining more and more importance in the international security environment due to its geostrategic location, energy resources, critical maritime transport lines and regional developments. The two main actors in ensuring security and stability in this strategic geography are the Turkish Naval Forces and the Egyptian Naval Forces. The Sea of Friendship Exercise, which we carry out with this understanding, is a concrete example of the developing cooperation between Turkey and Egypt in the Eastern Mediterranean." is an indicator." he said.
Tatlıoğlu emphasized that the exercise made significant contributions to strengthening mutual trust and improving interoperability between the naval forces of the two countries.
Stating that the naval operational environment has undergone a rapid transformation with the influence of technological developments, Tatlıoğlu said that especially unmanned air and sea vehicles have become indispensable elements of modern naval warfare.
Tatlıoğlu emphasized that, as the Turkish Naval Forces, they have pioneering capabilities in this field, thanks to the progress made in the defense industry, and continued his words as follows:
"We attach great importance to sharing these capabilities with friendly and allied countries and developing joint training, operations and defense industry cooperation opportunities. In this context, we are taking concrete steps to improve our cooperation with the Egyptian Naval Forces in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned marine vehicles. As a matter of fact, our BAYRAKTAR TB3 unmanned aerial vehicle, developed with national resources, and our PİRANA kamikaze unmanned marine vehicle, a product of the Machinery and Chemical Industry, also took part in the Sea of Friendship Exercise. These systems are used in the Sea of Friendship Exercise. These are important indicators of the technological level reached by our Turkish Forces Command and the ability of our Naval Forces to adapt to the modern operational environment.
On the other hand, as the Turkish Naval Forces, we produce and use not only our national platforms, but also our national guided missiles, torpedoes and naval mines used on these platforms. We are also working on the joint use of these weapon systems with the Egyptian Navy. We aim to take our defense industry cooperation in the maritime field to a further stage and carry out joint shipbuilding activities with Egypt within the scope of the MİLGEM Project, similar to our cooperation with Pakistan. "We believe that this approach will take the relations between the navies of the two countries to a more comprehensive and permanent partnership level."
"We wish to increase our joint work"
Tatlıoğlu stated that one of the important dimensions of maritime security is mine warfare and the fight against sea mines.
Emphasizing that the Turkish Naval Forces is among the most experienced naval forces in the world with its long-standing knowledge, advanced facilities and capabilities in the field of mine warfare, Tatlıoğlu said, "We have been actively working against the drifting mine threat that has emerged in the Black Sea, especially since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine War, and we continue our activities to ensure the safety of maritime transportation with determination." he said.
Tatlıoğlu stated that the operational experiences gained in this process further improved the capabilities in detecting, diagnosing and neutralizing the mine threat, and that they shared their knowledge in the field of mine warfare and the experiences gained in the field with the Egyptian Naval Forces.
Stating that they believe that this cooperation will contribute not only to the operational capabilities of the two naval forces, but also to the security of maritime transportation in the Eastern Mediterranean and regional stability, Tatlıoğlu said:
"As the Turkish Naval Forces, we are aware that having a strong and modern navy is of great importance not only for the protection of our national rights and interests, but also for supporting regional peace and stability. The maritime experience, military capacity and defense industry potential of Turkey and Egypt enable the development of a much more comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.
As the two most important naval powers of the Eastern Mediterranean, we wish to increase our joint efforts to strengthen security and stability in the seas. On this occasion, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all Egyptian Naval Forces personnel, especially the Commander of the Egyptian Naval Forces, for their contributions to the successful execution of the Sea of Friendship Exercise and the hospitality they showed. I congratulate all Turkish and Egyptian personnel who participated in the exercise for their outstanding efforts and professionalism. "I hope that the Sea of Friendship Exercise will further strengthen the friendship and cooperation between Türkiye and Egypt."
