The Naval Forces of Saudi Arabia and Sudan began joint military exercises on the Sudanese coast of the Red Sea on 17 February 2013.

This is the first operation of its kind, according to a statement by the Sudanese Army spokesperson, Al Sawarmi Khaled Saad.

The operation was aimed at “training the Naval Forces of the two countries to combat smuggling in the Red Sea of all different forms and strengthen security and stability in the region. Also intended is fostering a closer cooperation between the two navies and the standardization of military language in order to facilitate the implementation of the tasks in the future.”

Al Sawarmi explained that the Sudanese Army “received two Saudi ships and Special Forces and marines from Saudi Arabia to participate in the exercise, which ended on Wednesday 20 February, and that these joint exercises will continue in the future.”

The official spokesman indicated “the joint Saudi-Sudanese military training is part of a program agreed upon two months ago during an exchange of visits by delegations of the two countries.”

 

Source: Arab News