Egypt is main player in region: Italian Amb. Cantini

CAIRO — 19 November 2017: The newly appointed Italian Ambassador to Egypt Giampaolo Cantini affirmed in statements to Egypt Today on Sunday that his appointment as an ambassador to Egypt after past events clearly enhances the relations between the two countries.


"Egypt is a main player in the region, it plays a very important role especially in countering terrorism," Cantini said.


He added that both the Italian and Egyptian governments are collaborating to find solutions for the diplomatic problems and conflicts in the Middle East, especially in Libya.


Cantini referred to the cultural and economic cooperation between Italy and Egypt which includes Italy's relations with Bibliotheca Alexandrina, along with its contributions to several discoveries and investments in the oil and solar power manufacturing fields.


Last September, Italian Ambassador Giampaolo Cantini was received by officials at Cairo International Airport to assume his post after presenting his credentials to President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi.


After sustained tensions between the two nations, Italy decided on August 2017, to send Ambassador Cantini to Cairo, citing progress and cooperation in investigation of the 2016 murder of Italian post-graduate student Giulio Regeni in Egypt.


Cantini, 60 years old, graduated from the faculty of economics and political science in Capalbio, Italy and began his career in 1983.

Additional reporting by Hana Abu El Ezz