The Commander of the Turkish Land Forces discusses military cooperation with his Egyptian counterpart during a visit to Cairo
The Commander of the Turkish Land Forces, General Metin Tokel, paid an official visit to Egypt on October 26 and 27, 2026, as part of efforts to strengthen military cooperation between Cairo and Ankara and expand coordination between the armed forces of the two countries.
The Turkish Ambassador to Cairo, Salih Mutlu Şen, received the Turkish military commander upon his arrival at Cairo's Eastern Military Airport on October 26, emphasizing that the visit aimed to explore ways to enhance joint cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the military field.
During the visit, General Tokel met with Lieutenant General Yasser Mohamed Kamal El-Din Tody, Commander of the Egyptian Air Defense Forces, at the state's strategic command headquarters, known as "The Octagon," in the New Administrative Capital. The Turkish Ambassador, who accompanied the military delegation, was also present. The meeting focused on developing military relations, strengthening cooperation, and exchanging expertise between the two sides, according to the Turkish Ambassador.
Lieutenant General Abdel-Moaty Abdel-Aziz Allam, representing the Egyptian Armed Forces, hosted the Commander of the Turkish Land Forces at an official dinner, in the presence of Ambassador Salih Mutlu Şen, as part of the visit's program and meetings with Egyptian military officials.
The visit follows a series of high-level military contacts and visits between the two countries, including meetings between the General Staffs and the Ministries of Defense, as well as agreements on joint activities to develop cooperation and exchange expertise.
This visit is an extension of the expanding military cooperation that began in 2026.
The visit of the Turkish Land Forces Commander follows a significant development in military relations between the two countries, namely the visit of the Turkish Chief of the General Staff, General Selçuk Bayraktaş, to Cairo in June 2026, where he held talks with the Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Ahmed Khalifa.
The two sides co-chaired the fifth meeting of the Egyptian-Turkish Military Cooperation Committee, which concluded with the signing of the meeting's final protocol. This protocol included a range of joint activities aimed at expanding military cooperation and enhancing the exchange of expertise between the armed forces of the two countries.
In July 2026, the Commander-in-Chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces and Minister of Defense and Military Production, Lieutenant General Ashraf Salem Zaher, visited Turkey, where he held talks on strengthening military relations and expanding joint activities.
Cooperation also extended to the air domain, with the Egyptian Air Force participating in the "Anatolian Eagle 2026" exercises hosted by Turkey in June. These exercises involved multirole fighter jets from Egypt, Turkey, and Azerbaijan, along with a NATO early warning aircraft. The drills included joint sorties and theoretical lectures to standardize combat concepts and exchange training expertise.
Joint Naval Exercises in Alexandria Following Resumption of Cooperation
On the naval front, the Egyptian and Turkish navies are preparing to conduct the "Sea of Friendship 2026" exercises from November 4th to 9th in Alexandria. Units and personnel from both countries' navies will participate.
The exercises will include surface naval operations, anti-submarine warfare, and naval air defense drills, as well as underwater attack exercises involving Turkish naval commandos and special operations forces (SAT).
The Turkish Ministry of Defense also announced that the frigate TCG Burgazada will visit the port of Alexandria from November 1st to 3rd, following a visit to the Greek port of Souda between October 25th and 28th.
The "Sea of Friendship" exercises hold particular significance, as joint naval drills between the two countries resumed in September 2015 after a hiatus of approximately 13 years due to deteriorating political relations. These exercises had initially begun in 2009 and continued annually until 2013.
Military cooperation also included the joint "Golden Eagle" exercises, which involved Egyptian paratroopers and commandos alongside Turkish special forces, as well as joint air exercises between the armed forces of both countries.
These reciprocal visits at the military leadership level, along with the activation of the military cooperation committee and the organization of land, air, and sea exercises, reflect a trend toward expanding the scope of defense partnership between Egypt and Turkey after years of political tension.
