Italian Ambassador takes office in Cairo: Foreign Minister

CAIRO – 4 September 2017: The Italian Ambassador in Egypt Giampaolo Cantini will take office on September 14, while the Egyptian Ambassador Hisham Badr will resume his job in Rome, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Angelino Alfano said, on Monday.

Alfano stated that it’s illogical for the two countries to stay without high-level political or diplomatic discourse, as Egypt is an indispensable partner to Italy and vice versa, AKI Italian news agency reported.

The procedure of sending Cantini to Cairo aims to strengthen political and moral commitment between the two countries, for the purpose of finding the truth around the murder of Italian researcher Giulio Regeni in Egypt, Alfano added.

Italy decided to return Ambassador Giampaolo Cantini to Cairo a year after he had been summoned, Reuters reported on Monday. The Italian ambassador was withdrawn in August 2016 due to the mysterious torture and murder of student Giulio Regeni.