Turkey and Egypt to hold first joint naval drills since 2012
The Turkish Defense Ministry has stated that joint naval drills will be executed between Turkey and Egypt for the first time in 13 years, according to The New Arab via AP on September 18th.
The drills have been named “Friendship Sea” and will occur in the eastern Mediterranean between 22-26 September 2025. The ministry revealed that the exercises will include Egyptian naval units alongside Turkish frigates, fast attack vessels, a submarine, and F-16 fighter jets.
On September 25th, the top commanders of each navy are expected to attend a high-level observer day, which highlights the significance of the cooperation after over a decade of tense relations.
Turkey and Egypt experienced a major schism in their bilateral ties following Cairo’s 2013 ousting of President Mohammed Morsi, who was the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate. Egypt’s current President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi replaced Morsi and promptly proscribed the Brotherhood, which has long been backed by Ankara, as a terrorist organisation.
Reconciliation between the two powers began after Turkey started to gradually roll back its support for the Muslim Brotherhood in 2022 amid an economic downturn and a need to mend ties with Gulf states. Cairo and Ankara then exchanged ambassadors in 2023, according to The National on September 18th.
September 2024 marked major progress as El-Sisi visited Ankara for the first time. He and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, discussed their “common stance on the Palestinian issue”, according to AP on September 4th, 2024.
Since then, numerous other developments have continued to bring the two countries closer together. In July 2025, Turkish security forces arrested a major Muslim Brotherhood leadership figure, Mohamed Abdel Hafiz, who was allegedly the key architect of a foiled terrorist attack on Egyptian soil.
Moreover, Turkish direct investment into the Egyptian economy has surpassed $500 million in 2025, largely due to collaboration in the transport sector.
Egypt is also preparing to join Turkey’s KAAN stealth fighter jet development project, which is largely driven by concerns over the consequences of recent regional instability. Both countries firmly oppose Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and see the project as part of an initiative to counter Israeli regional expansionism.
The New Arab, AP, The National, Maghrebi.org
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