Egypt and Turkey have signed a military cooperation agreement following a meeting between their armed forces chiefs in Cairo, coinciding with the launch of the joint “Anatolian Eagle – 2026” aerial exercise in Turkey.
Egyptian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Ahmed Khalifa and Turkish Chief of General Staff General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu co-chaired the concluding session of the fifth Egyptian-Turkish Military Cooperation Committee meeting. The two commanders signed the session’s minutes, which outlined the execution of various activities to support military cooperation and the transfer and exchange of expertise between the two militaries.
Bayraktaroğlu is currently in Egypt for a multi-day official visit. Following an official reception at the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Defence, where both national anthems were played, the commanders discussed subjects of mutual interest and ways to enhance bilateral military cooperation across multiple fields.
Khalifa emphasised the depth of the partnership and bilateral cooperation between the two armed forces, pointing to the importance of coordinating efforts to achieve the mutual interests of the two countries.
In response, Bayraktaroğlu expressed his appreciation for the deep ties connecting the two nations, affirming his country’s keenness to enhance military relations between both armed forces during the upcoming period. Several armed forces commanders from both countries attended the meeting and discussion session.
Simultaneously, the joint Egyptian-Turkish aerial exercise “Anatolian Eagle – 2026” commenced at a Turkish airbase, scheduled to run for several days. The drills involve multi-role fighter aircraft from Egypt, Turkey, and Azerbaijan, in addition to a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) early warning aircraft.
The exercise began with theoretical lectures aimed at unifying combat concepts and exchanging training expertise among the participating elements. The forces will execute joint flights to hone their skills and enable them to efficiently carry out assigned missions. The training falls within the broader framework of enhancing military cooperation between the Egyptian and Turkish armed forces.
