The Egyptian and Turkish Navies held a weeklong joint drill in October 2012 in the eastern Mediterranean. The annual drill, called Sea of Friendship, began in 2009 to boost cooperation between the two countries. This year’s exercise involved five Egyptian Navy units as well as the Egyptian Air Force, and included search and rescue and counterpiracy operations.
Egyptian President Muhammad Mursi attended the last day of the exercise and said Egypt’s military forces were prepared to thwart any attack, reported the Journal of Turkish Weekly. “Just as we do not attack anyone, we would not want anybody to attack us,” Mursi said.
Mursi has sought to deepen ties with Turkey, one of the first countries to support Egypt’s Arab Awakening.
Reuters
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