![First sea trials of the French-made Gowind 2500 corvette El Fateh, made for the Egyptian Navy [Ahmed XIV / Wikipedia]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Egyptian_Navy_Gowind_2500_corvette_El_Fateh_971-e1506167278998.jpg?fit=1200%2C767&ssl=1)
Egyptian and French naval forces carried out joint naval drills in French territorial waters, with the aim of “supporting efforts to maintain stability in the region”, the Egyptian military spokesman said in a statement yesterday.
“The Egyptian-French naval training activities, Cleopatra-2022, , which will last for several days, have been launched in French territorial waters,” Gharib Abdel Hafez said.
He explained that the military manoeuvre is being held “within the framework of the joint training plan of the armed forces with friendly countries to enhance prospects for military cooperation and support security and stability efforts in the region.”
The “Cleopatra” manoeuvre “is one of the strongest and largest joint naval exercises carried out by Egypt and France,” he said. It “aims to refine the skills of the army personnel participating in implementing and managing the joint naval operations, in accordance with modern naval combat methods.”
The Cleopatra naval manoeuvre between Egypt and France was held in 2021 in the Mediterranean and in 2018 in the Red Sea.