Greek and allied forces taking part in the multinational air and naval exercise ‘Medusa’ are in full deployment, with preparatory activities beginning on Thursday southeast of Crete.
Forces from Greece, Egypt, France, Italy and Cyprus are taking part in the exercise, with warships and fighter aircraft conducting a series of complex operational activities in the area.
The location of the exercise is considered particularly significant, as it lies within a maritime area covered by Turkish claims based on the Turkey-Libya memorandum. Greece has issued a NAVTEX reserving an area in the southeastern Cretan Sea, where the first stages of the exercise are taking place.
The exercise comes just days after remarks by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in El Alamein, where the trilateral summit between Greece, Cyprus and Egypt was held.
This year’s ‘Medusa’ exercise is being held within the framework of the longstanding defence cooperation between Greece and Egypt, with the participation of the Republic of Cyprus and European countries.