Turkey and Egypt to hold first joint naval drills in 13 years

Turkey and Egypt will hold joint naval drills for the first time in 13 years, a sign of warming ties between two regional powers, the Turkish Defense Ministry said on Thursday. The exercises, dubbed Friendship Sea, are scheduled to take place in the eastern Mediterranean from Sept. 22 to Sept. 26 and will involve Turkish frigates, fast-attack vessels, a submarine and F-16 fighter jets alongside Egyptian naval units. The two navies’ top commanders are expected to attend a high-level observer day on Sept. 25, underscoring the importance of the exercise after more than a decade of strained relations.

The announcement comes as Ankara and Cairo have sought to repair ties following a period of serious discord that stretched over years. Turkey has long supported the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, a stance that drew strong opposition from Egypt after it ousted President Mohammed Morsi in 2013. Cairo also designated the group a terrorist organization. The two countries previously diverged on several regional issues, including Libya and the broader security framework of the eastern Mediterranean.

Relations began to thaw in earnest in 2023, when Egypt and Turkey agreed to repair ties and reappoint ambassadors after a long period of estrangement. Since then, there have been a series of high-level visits and exchanges between Turkish and Egyptian officials, signaling a mutual interest in stabilizing regional dynamics. The two governments have also coordinated their approaches to regional crises, including a shared stance against Israel’s military operations in Gaza and a push for a ceasefire.

The Friendship Sea drills are notable not only for their scale but for what they symbolize about the state of regional security in the eastern Mediterranean. The participating Turkish forces will include frigates, fast-attack vessels, a submarine and F-16 fighters, while Egyptian naval units will participate alongside them. The presence of the two navies’ top commanders at the observer day on Sept. 25 is read as a gesture of transparency and a signal of ongoing military-to-military engagement after years of tension.

The exercises occur at a time when both Turkey and Egypt are recalibrating their regional priorities. Ankara has pursued a broad modernization of its armed forces and expanded its influence across the eastern Mediterranean and Red Sea regions. Cairo, facing security challenges at home and concerns about regional stability, has sought to reinforce its military capabilities and to reassert leadership in Arab and regional diplomacy. The joint drills may help both countries test interoperability and demonstrate a commitment to cooperation in maritime security, energy exploration, and crisis management in a volatile theater.

Analysts note that the timing of the drills aligns with broader efforts to stabilize the region amid ongoing disputes and competing interests over maritime boundaries, energy reserves, and access to crucial shipping lanes. While the Friendship Sea exercises are not framed as a broader alliance, they reflect a pragmatic approach to reducing friction and building practical channels for communication between two countries that have historically been adversaries or wary partners on multiple fronts.

For Egypt, the drills may also serve as a confidence-building measure with a neighbor whose stance on regional issues has shifted as domestic and international pressures evolve. For Turkey, the exercises offer a platform to project naval capability, test joint operations with a partner it has not routinely conducted large-scale exercises with in more than a decade, and reinforce its role as a key regional actor in Mediterranean security dynamics.

In a region where security concerns are often shaped by competing narratives and foreign influence, the Friendship Sea drills could contribute to a more predictable military-to-military dialogue between Ankara and Cairo. The joint exercise may also influence subsequent diplomatic efforts, including negotiations over maritime rights, airspace management, and joint responses to crises in the eastern Mediterranean, Libya, and Gaza corridors. However, observers caution that a single multi-day drill is only one element of broader strategic normalization and that sustained engagement will be required to translate symbolic gestures into durable cooperation.

As the international community watches, both countries appear to be working to ensure that such exercises remain transparent and do not escalate tensions with third parties in the region. The Turkish Defense Ministry emphasized that the event is designed to strengthen cooperation and interoperability between the two countries’ navies while maintaining open channels for dialogue on security in the eastern Mediterranean.

The Friendship Sea drills thus mark a tangible milestone in the gradual normalization of ties between Turkey and Egypt, highlighting a shared interest in maritime security, regional stability, and the management of complex geopolitical risks that influence energy markets and trade routes. If sustained, the momentum from this announcement could shape how Ankara and Cairo approach future diplomacy, security cooperation, and crisis management in the Mediterranean and adjacent theaters.