The multinational military exercise Bright Star kicked off on Thursday in Egypt with the participation of 21 countries, the Egyptian military spokesman announced.

The drills, which will last until 17 September, are being carried out at the Mohamed Naguib Military Base in the Northern Military Region, the statement added.

In a speech, the head of the Egyptian armed forces’ training authority conveyed the greetings and appreciation of Egyptian Minister of Defence and Military Production Mohamed Zaki and Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces Mohamed Farid to the participating countries.

He underscored the keenness of the Egyptian armed forces' general command to implement the joint training, saying "It is considered one of the largest and most important military exercises at the global level due to the size of the participating troops.”

The training director of the US side expressed his deep appreciation to the Egyptian armed forces for hosting drills and for the warm reception and hospitality.

He added that the US considers Egypt one of the most important strategic partners in the region, the statement added.

The exercise, originally scheduled for September last year, was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Bright Star exercises are held in Egypt on a regular basis. The first was held in 1980, a year after the signing of the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.

The last time the Bright Star exercise was held was in 2018.

Troops from Egypt, the United States, Jordan, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, France, Britain, Greece and Italy participated in the 2018 exercise, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Defence. This is in addition to 16 other countries who participated as observers.

The 2018 exercise saw the participation of navy personnel, air forces and special forces, according to the ministry.