The distinguished observer day of the EFES-2022 joint live rounds land exercise began on Thursday.
The distinguished observer day was followed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, and the defense ministers of more than 10 countries.
On Greek moves in the Aegean, Erdoğan warned Athens to refrain from "dreams and actions that will result in regret, just like a century ago"-referring to the 1919-1923 Turkish War of Independence, which pushed Greek forces out of Türkiye-and to "come to its senses."
The EFES 2022 exercise, one of the largest planned exercises of the Turkish armed forces, began in Türkiye's Izmir on May 20 with the participation of friendly and allied country elements under the direction and administration of the Aegean army command.
EFES exercise gathered almost 10,000 personnel from 37 nations, including Libya, Italy, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Albania, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the United States, and France, increasing from 8 countries in 2016 and 20 in 2018.
As part of a generic scenario, amphibious operations supported by artillery were carried out; targets were hit by ground fire support vehicles, warplanes and attack helicopters.
Special forces operations are also being conducted at EFES-2022, including: ship-to-target manoeuvring, airlift, combat search and rescue, and residential area capabilities.
EFES-2022, the largest joint exercise of the Turkish Armed Forces in the Aegean, was successfully completed Thursday after a ceremony attended by Erdoğan, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, Vice President Fuat Oktay, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) head Devlet Bahçeli, and other high-level statesmen and officials.
Also attenders of the exercise were Libyan Prime Minister and Defense Minister Abdul Hamid al-Dbeibeh, the defense ministers of Azerbaijan, Gambia, Cameroon, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, Kosovo and Rwanda, and the chiefs of general staff of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Libya, Hungary and Pakistan.
The EFES-2022 military exercise, one of the largest planned drills of the Turkish army, this year gathered almost 10,000 personnel from 37 nations.
