Turkey and Egypt to hold Sea of Friendship 2026 naval exercises

Turkey and Egypt will conduct a joint naval exercise titled “Sea of Friendship 2026” in Alexandria from November 4 to November 9, 2026. According to the Turkish Ministry of National Defense, the drills will include surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, air defense, and underwater offensive operations involving combat divers.

The exercise follows a period of significant diplomatic rapprochement between Ankara and Cairo, marking an end to a decade of strained relations that began in 2013. Recent high-level visits by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, along with a military and defense cooperation agreement signed in February 2026, underscore the strengthening ties.

This military cooperation occurs amid ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly regarding maritime boundary delimitations. While Turkey has expressed interest in discussing maritime zones with Egypt, the regional context remains complex due to the controversial Turkey-Libya maritime memorandum, which both Greece and Egypt have characterized as invalid.