Medusa 2020 exercises.
For the first time in history, France and the United Arab Emirates will participate in MEDUSA exercises alongside Greece, Cyprus and Egypt.
From November 30 to December 6, 2020, the planned multinational interdisciplinary exercise will take place.
The MEDUSA exercises, which have taken place since 2017, is part of the tripartite cooperation between Cyprus, Greece and Egypt in Defense and Security.
This cooperation is significantly strengthened this year as for the first time forces from France and the United Arab Emirates will participate.
Cyprus will participate in the exercise with the Offshore Ship (PATH) "A. IOANNIDIS ” and with an Officer Liaison to the joint staff of the exercise, the Cypriot Defense Ministry announced.
The multinational interdisciplinary exercise will take place in the greater Alexandria area of Egypt and the Cairo Flight Information Region.
In the context of the exercise, which is divided into three phases, search and rescue, electronic warfare, surface exercises and naval formations will be practiced.
Turkey is feeling isolated in the East Mediterranean because of the MEDUSA exercises.
Turkish Defense Ministry spokeswoman Pınar Kara said "Another exercise has been added to the countries that have united against Turkey, such as Greece, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, the Greek Cypriots and France, and since August they have been conducting successive exercises in the Mediterranean and trying to increase tensions."
"The exercise, which will begin on November 30 off the coast of Egypt with the participation of the five countries air forces, will end on December 6. This exercise shows once again who wants tensions and avoids dialogue and does not want peace," she said expressing Turkey's frustrations.
On Saturday, just two days before the MEDUSA 2020 exercises begin and following cooperation of the Greek military with the General Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces, a joint PASSEX (Passing Exercise) training of surface units of the Greek and Egyptian Navies was conducted, as reported by Greek City Times.