Joint military drills between Egypt's armed forces and their Russian counterparts near the coastal city of Alexandria will continue until 26 October, state news agency MENA reported. The joint military training, which began on 15 October, includes drills between Egyptian and Russian paratrooper units in the northwestern region of El-Alamein. The drills, which aim at "boosting mutual militarily expertise" between the two countries, also include field skills, special forces tactical training, urban combat and the freeing of hostages, MENA added. In 2015, Russia and Egypt held a joint naval exercise off the coast of Alexandria, which included supply and communication exercises, search operations, and defence and firing exercises. In September, Egypt's Defence Minister Sedki Sobhi visited Russia to discuss various aspects of military cooperation between the two countries. The September visit was the latest in a series of meetings focused on boosting military cooperation between Egypt and Russia, which has increased since President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi was elected to office in 2014. Last Saturday, Egypt backed a Russian resolution in the UN Security Council on Syria that made no mention of an end to air strikes on Aleppo. Earlier that day, Egypt also voted for a rival French resolution which included language on ending Russian airstrikes on the city.. Both resolutions failed to pass.
