The Egyptian and French navies concluded on Saturday a joint military drill that was conducted over several days in the Red Sea as part of the military partnership and cooperation between the two countries, Egypt's army spokesperson Tamer El-Refaie said in a statement. The drill included exercises involving Egyptian and French Mistral helicopter carriers, marine scouting, anti-terror operations, boosting maritime security and fighting capabilities, as well as ship inspection. Part of the drill involved exercises on a French Mistral ship, which were attended by Egyptian naval Commander-in-Chief Ahmed Khaled. "The exercise comes in the framework of boosting military cooperation between Egypt and France, using modern methods of marine combat and maximising the joint benefits for both sides," El-Refaie added. Last February, the Egyptian and French navies carried out the joint exercise "Cleopatra 2018" in the Red Sea, which involved exercises that coincided with Egypt's counterterrorism Operation Sinai 2018.
