Egyptian President Abdul Fattah el-Sisi praised the pivotal role being played by the Egyptian armed forces in maintaining security, stability and strategic balance in the Middle East region.
This came during his meeting Wednesday with Minister of Defense and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Mohamed Zaki, and Commander of the Egyptian Air Force Abbas Helmy.
Sisi called for maintaining the highest levels of readiness “to protect the country's national security in light of the great challenges facing the region," Presidential spokesman Bassam Rady said.
The president was briefed on several issues related to the activities and preparedness of the armed forces' main branches, particularly the Air Force.
According to Rady, Sisi also reviewed the results of recent joint military exercises with a number of units.
In a related context, Egypt’s Army Chief of Staff Lt. General Mohamed Farid and several chiefs of staff on Arab countries’ armed forces attended the main stage of a joint military drill dubbed "Saif Al Arab," - "Sword of Arabs".
The participating countries include Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain and Sudan.
This phase showed the accuracy of hitting fixed and moving targets, and the high maneuver capability of the forces through joint work.