Egyptian and Russian air defence forces on Friday began the "Friendship Arrow 1" joint military exercise, which runs for two weeks and takes place in Egypt, according to a statement by Egypt's armed forces spokesman on his official Facebook page.

The commander of Egypt’s Air Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Ali Fahmy, welcomed participant forces and conveyed greetings from the Minister of Defence General Mohamed Zaki and the Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Mohamed Farid to the Russian side.

Fahmy pointed out that the implementation of this training for the first time on Egyptian territory confirms the depth of the partnership and strategic cooperation extended throughout history between Egypt and Russia.

The commander of the Russian Joint Forces, Colonel Valery Chernysh, gave a welcome speech to participant troops, praising the results achieved by the Egyptian air defence forces in military competitions that took place in Russia, and also stressing the importance and depth of strategic relations binding the friendly countries of Egypt and Russia.

The exercise comes within the joint training plan carried out with the armed forces of friendly and brotherly countries aimed at strengthening military cooperation and security and stability efforts.