CAIRO, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi inaugurated on Saturday the largest military base of the Middle East in the coastal city of Alexandria.
The president raised the Armed Forces flag on the new base in el Hammam city, west of Alexandria.
The military base was named after late president Mohamed Naguib, who orchestrated 1952 revolution which ended the royal regime in Egypt.
The new military base is the biggest in the Middle East and Africa regions, according to official news agency MENA.
The base, which is built on what used to be a military city, constructed in 1993, consists of 1,155 buildings established and renovated over the past two years, the spokesperson of the armed forces Tamer el-Refai said in a statement.
The military base will also serve as a headquarters to some forces of the Northern Military Unit, which expected to increase its efficiency in protecting west of Alexandria, the North Coast, the currently under construction Al-Dabaa nuclear power plant, and oil fields, the statement added.
The 72-km long road base will also be used in military exercises with the armies of other countries.
The statement added the new base has 72 integral battlefields for training, along with complexes for electronic shooting platforms.
It also accommodates 27 rest houses for top officials, and 29 buildings for officers, as well as a large camp for housing 1,000 soldiers, and 50-bed hospital, as well as a conferences center, museum and mosque.
"In light of what the Middle East witnesses of direct threats to the national security, especially coming from the western strategic part, the armed forces was keen to promote its capabilities at the western part to prevent the infiltration of terrorists and smuggling of weapons," the statement added.
The armed forces continue to modernize its battling system, developing the performance of its fighters and protecting its national security, it reiterated.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Egypt's top officials as well as Arab princes and ambassadors.
The Arab delegation included Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al Nuhayyan, Saudi King's adviser Prince Khaled al Faysal and Crown Prince of Bahrain Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
In his speech Sisi stressed the importance of constructive cooperation to confront the challenges besetting the Arab nation.
The nature of wars has changes and the enemies have adopted indirect confrontation to terrorize civilians and incite frustration, the president said.
"Terrorism is a complicated phenomenon with diversified faces. No one could tolerate terrorism of those financing or sheltering terrorists," Sisi added.
Since Sisi stepped into office in 2014, he worked on rebuilding the armed forces, concluded many arm deals with the United States, France, Russia and other countries.
Egypt faces security threats which require diversifying the army resources and improving the army preparations, Samir Ghatas, chairman of the Middle East Forum for Strategic and Security Studies told Xinhua.
Ghatas also said that there are challenges on the borders with Libya, Sinai and Sudan. Also preserving the security of Bab al-Mandab strait threatened by the tensions in Yemen is essential for the security of the new and the old Suez Canal, in addition to the necessity to secure the new gas discoveries on the Mediterranean Sea.
Egypt should be ready also for entering any war in support of its "Gulf allies, which constitute the defense line for Egypt," the strategic expert added.
