Egypt State Information Service (Cairo)
30 December 2011
Joint Egyptian-Turkish naval exercises wrapped up on Thursday 29/12/2011. The war games, code-named Sea of Friendship 2011, began December 17.
Turkey is acting as the host nation and the exercises took place in Turkish waters of the eastern Mediterranean. Egypt’s contribution in terms of ships and personnel is the largest yet in the series of three Turkish-Egyptian annual naval exercises.
According to Turkish sources quoted by Anatolia News Agency, the Egyptian force consisted of two frigates, two assault boats, one tanker, a helicopter and an underwater assault team, while the Turkish contingent consisted of two frigates, two assault boats, a submarine, a corvette, a tugboat, two fast patrol boats and an underwater assault team.
Commander of Egyptian Naval Forces Admiral Mohab Mamish and his Turkish counterpart Admiral Murat Bilgel witnessed one of the key stages of the war games.
Mamish, who also member of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), said the exercise was not directed against any specific country and was not politically-motivated.
Mamish had arrived in Turkey on a brief visit at the start of the exercises. He had a meeting with Bilgel on the future of Egyptian-Turkish military relations.
Live ammunition was used in the drills practicing how to repel surface and airborne targets.
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