The multinational military exercise Medusa was performed south of Crete on Thursday, with forces from Greece, Egypt, France, Italy and Cyprus taking part in naval and air activities.

Preparatory operations began southeast of Crete, with warships and fighter aircraft involved.

The exercise is being held in a sea area reserved by Greece through a Navtex in the southeastern Cretan Sea.

The area is within a wider zone where Turkey has asserted its own maritime claims under its memorandum with Libya.

Medusa is taking place days after the trilateral summit between Cyprus, Greece and Egypt in El Alamein, where the three countries reaffirmed their intention to work together on regional security and stability.

In a joint declaration issued after the summit, President Nikos Christodoulides, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said they sought to “uphold security and stability in the region”.

The three leaders also stressed the importance of resolving disputes through diplomatic means and respecting national sovereignty and international law.

They said maritime jurisdiction agreements should be based on international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos).

The exercise comes as the participating countries continue military and diplomatic cooperation in the Levant.

Cyprus has taken part in previous editions of Medusa, which is organised primarily by Greece and Egypt.