Turkey and Egypt will conduct a joint naval exercise in Alexandria from 4 to 9 November, Ankara has announced, as tensions in the eastern Mediterranean flare up again following the ratification of the Turkey-Libya maritime agreement by eastern Libya’s parliament.

The Libyan parliament’s decision to ratify the 2019 agreement between Turkey and Libya on the delimitation of maritime zones has provoked reactions from Greece, Egypt, Cyprus, the European Union and Israel.

According to the Turkish Ministry of National Defence, the exercise, named Sea of Friendship 2026, will involve naval units and personnel from both countries. It will cover surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, air defence and underwater offensive operations involving combat divers.

Turkish Ministry of National Defence spokesman Zeki Aktürk also announced that the Turkish corvette TCG Burgazada would visit the port of Alexandria from 1 to 3 November.

Ankara and Cairo strengthen military cooperation

The new naval exercise forms part of expanding military cooperation between Turkey and Egypt, which includes defence industry agreements, technology transfers, exchanges of senior military officials and joint training programmes.

On 26 and 27 October, the commander of the Turkish Land Forces, General Metin Tokel, visited Egypt. The Turkish Ministry of National Defence provided no further details about his meetings or itinerary.

The two countries resumed the Sea of Friendship exercises in September 2025 at the Aksaz naval base in Muğla, south-western Turkey, after a 13-year hiatus.

Their suspension had been linked to deteriorating relations between Ankara and Cairo following the overthrow of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood-led government, which Cairo designates as a terrorist organisation.

The exercises had been held annually from 2009 to 2013.

Following the normalisation of bilateral relations in 2024, Turkey and Egypt signed a letter of intent on defence cooperation in July 2026, during a visit to Ankara by Egyptian Defence Minister Ashraf Salem Zaher.

Zaher held talks with his Turkish counterpart, Yaşar Güler, on expanding cooperation in joint military training, defence equipment production, technology transfers and the exchange of expertise.

Since then, the two countries have conducted a series of joint military exercises, including Golden Eagle, involving Egyptian paratroopers and commandos alongside Turkish special forces, as well as joint training activities involving their respective air forces.

Egyptian aircraft also took part in the annual Anatolian Eagle 2026 exercise, held in June in Konya, central Turkey, alongside aircraft from Azerbaijan and a NATO airborne early warning and control aircraft.

Ratification of the Turkey-Libya maritime deal sparks backlash

The expansion of military cooperation between Turkey and Egypt comes as disagreements over the delimitation of maritime zones in the eastern Mediterranean have returned to the forefront.

On 20 October, Libya’s House of Representatives ratified the memorandum delimiting maritime zones that Turkey and Libya’s then Government of National Accord, led by Fayez al-Sarraj, signed on 27 November 2019.

The agreement continues to be disputed by neighbouring countries and the European Union, which argue that it violates international law and disregards the rights of Greek islands to maritime zones.

Ankara, for its part, has revived its proposal for a maritime delimitation agreement with Egypt. According to Turkish claims, such an agreement could secure Cairo more than 15,000 additional square kilometres of maritime jurisdiction compared with a possible equivalent agreement with Greece.

This calculation reflects the Turkish side’s position.

Gerapetritis: ‘Maritime zones are not up for auction’

Responding to the Turkish proposals, Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis rejected the idea of negotiating maritime zones through competing bids.

“Maritime zones are not up for auction,” he said, stressing that their delimitation must be governed by international law.

The Greek minister reiterated the importance of the strategic relationship between Greece and Egypt and the two countries’ shared commitment to implementing international law. He warned that violations of the rules governing maritime zones could have wider consequences, not only for Mediterranean countries but also for global trade, food and energy security, and ocean protection.

Gerapetritis also referred to a joint statement issued at the United Nations on Monday by Greece, Egypt, Cyprus, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and the European Union, expressing their opposition to the Turkey-Libya memorandum. He noted that Egypt’s permanent representative to the United Nations had stood alongside him in New York when the joint statement was presented.

Greece and Turkey continue military contacts

Despite their disagreements over maritime zones, Greece and Turkey continue military contacts under their Confidence-Building Measures framework.

Turkish Ministry of National Defence spokesman Zeki Aktürk announced that the head of the Hellenic Tactical Air Force, accompanied by a delegation, would visit the Turkish Air Force Command from 3 to 5 November.

The visit is taking place under the confidence-building measures programme between the two countries, which continues despite their disagreements over maritime jurisdiction in the eastern Mediterranean.