Egyptian and French naval forces have started a multi-day joint maritime drill, dubbed Cleopatra 2021, in the territorial waters of the northern fleet region in the Mediterranean, the Egyptian military spokesman said on Monday.

The training comes within the framework of the Egyptian Armed Forces’ plan for joint training with friendly and brotherly countries to enhance military cooperation and exchange training experiences, he noted.

The Egyptian forces are participating in the drill with the Mistral helicopter carrier Anwar Sadat, the Gowind-class design frigate Sajm Al-Fateh, the missile launcher Soliman Ezzat, a number of multi-tasking combat aircraft, and a number of helicopters, in addition to elements of the navy's special units (thunderbolt).

The French forces are participating with a Mistral helicopter carrier and elements of the French navy's special units (thunderbolt), the statement added.

The Egyptian military spokesman said that a number of training activities are to be implemented to hone the skills of commanders and officers and exchange experiences between the two forces.

The forces will also be trained on securing navigation lines against various threats, the statement added.

The drill is meant to achieve compatibility between the participating elements and speed up the implementation of the planned tasks, the spokesman added.