Italian FM praises Sisi's statements about Regeni

CAIRO – 10 November 2017: Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano hailed President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi's statements regarding Giulio Regeni's case during his meeting with media representatives Wednesday night on the sidelines of the WYF, Italian newspaper Pressenza reported.

"We are convinced that Sisi is eager to find the truth “in Regeni's case” and we are confident that his words will push the Egyptian judiciary more and more to seek the truth," Alfano said during a press conference at Farnesina Palace in Rome in Italy.
“Italy is looking for the truth through judicial cooperation between our country and Egypt,” he added.

It was reported that Egypt is keen on solving Regeni’s case as soon as possible, adding that Regeni’s case is among the current priorities of the government, and that whoever was responsible for and involved in this case will be trialed soon.

During Sisi’s meeting with the media, he affirmed that Egypt is keen on promoting its relations with Italy, as it was the first country to declare its support for the June 30 Revolution in 2013; also, there are strong economic relations between the two states.

On January 25, 2016, the 28-year-old Italian scholar 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, according to Reuters. This murder led to strained ties between Italy and Egypt.

A joint investigation between the Egyptian and Italian governments has been opened since then.

“Regeni’s case is still ongoing, and, as President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi said before, we are willing to continue the investigations until the end, as both Italian and Egyptian attorney generals and officials are cooperating transparently to reach the truth. However, we need to understand that not everyone wants the Egyptian-Italian relations to continue and develop,” Egyptian Ambassador to Italy Hesham Badr said in an interview on October 6 to Sada al-Bald TV Channel.