Egypt is an important ally for Italy: Italian Foreign Minister

CAIRO - 15 August 2017: The Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano stressed on Monday that Egypt is an “extremely important..partner” for Italy, in terms of interests in Libya and combating terrorism, according to ANSA news agency.

This comes on the sidelines of Italy’s decision that Italy’s ambassador to Egypt Giampaolo Cantini will return to Cairo after more than a year following the ambiguous murder of the Italian student Giulio Regeni in Egypt.

Alfano stressed in a statement that Italy will not drop down searching for the truth behind the killing of Regini, noting that the main motive behind that decision was that “we were convinced that the return of Cantini to Cairo would strengthen relations with the Egyptian authorities, strengthen judicial cooperation and intensify activities to make progress in the investigations."

On January 25, 2016, the 28-year old Italian postgraduate student Regeni disappeared in Cairo, only for his dead body to be found on February 3 alongside the Cairo-Alexandria highway, bearing signs of extreme torture and beating, according to Reuters. This murder has led to strained relations between Italy and Egypt.