Egypt, US, Spain hold joint maritime exercise in Mediterranean Sea

The Egyptian, US and Spanish navies held a joint maritime exercise within the range of Egypt's Northern Fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, said the Egyptian military on Saturday.

Ships of the US and Spanish naval forces took part in the joint drills following their visit to Egypt's Alexandria Naval Base, Xinhua news agency reported, citng a statement by Egyptian military spokesman Gharib Abdel-Hafez.

The exercise, which lasts several days, was carried out by Egypt's multi-mission Gowind-class corvette ENS El Fateh, US missile destroyer USS Forrest Sherman and Spanish frigate ESPS Almirante Juan De Borbon, it said.

Besides other naval combat activities, the drills included "training on homogeneous work within a joint duty force charged with the tasks of maintaining maritime security as well as confronting threats that may affect global trade and international freedom of navigation in areas of common interest," according to the statement.

It added that Egypt held such drills to enhance cooperation between the Egyptian Armed Forces and their counterparts in other countries, "which contributes to supporting maritime security and stability."

--IANS

int/shs