Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, accompanied by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Libyan Presidential Council Chairman Mohamed Menfi, inaugurated a naval base on Saturday located 135 kilometers from the border with Libya. Egypt states that the base, named July 3, will help protect its strategic and economic interests as well as assist in safeguarding against irregular migration while working to enhance its naval presence in the Mediterranean and Red Seas.
During the inauguration ceremony, two Mistral-class helicopter carriers purchased from France, alongside a German-made submarine and two Italian Freemantle-class frigates that Egypt recently received, were showcased. The naval forces conducted exercises that included missile launches, parachute drops, and an amphibious landing operation, while Sisi and his guests observed the drills from one of the aircraft carriers.
The base is named July 3 in commemoration of the day the military, led by Sisi, ousted President Mohamed Morsi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, in 2013. The base spans over ten kilometers and features a maritime dock that is 1,000 meters long, with a water depth of 14 meters and several commercial shipping docks.
Following the chaos that ensued in Libya after the 2011 uprising, the eastern border has become a security concern for Egypt, despite its bolstered presence in the region. Egypt and the UAE have supported military leader Khalifa Haftar, based in eastern Libya, in the internal conflict that expanded after 2014; however, Cairo has strongly backed United Nations-led political efforts to reunify the country.
Mohamed Menfi, who attended the inauguration on Saturday, heads the three-member Libyan council. Relations have also been strained between Egypt and Turkey, which has supported Haftar's competitors in western Libya over maritime rights in the gas-rich eastern Mediterranean. However, Cairo and Ankara have taken cautious steps this year to mend their ties.
