Egypt, Italy FMs discuss bilateral ties, regional crises

CAIRO - 30 November 2017: Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Thursday had a session of talks with his Italian counterpart Angelino Alfano on the sidelines of his visit to Rome to participate in the Mediterranean Dialogues forum.

During the meeting, Shoukry welcomed the restoration of bilateral relations after the two countries’ ambassadors returned to Cairo and Rome.

Relations between Egypt and Italy had tensed after the murder of Italian student Giulio Regeni whose body was found in a ditch on the outskirts of Cairo.

Shoukry asserted Egypt’s interest in Regeni's case and the necessity of supporting the judicial cooperation to reveal the truth behind his death, Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said.

The talks also took up the regional developments, especially the situation in Libya and Egypt’s efforts to help unify and restructure the Libyan national army and the neighboring countries’ moves to support the Libyan consensus.

The two top diplomats also tackled the Syrian crisis and efforts exerted to back Geneva and Astana peace talks and to uphold de-escalation deals.

They also discussed the crises in Libya, Iraq and Lebanon as well as the counter-terrorism efforts.

The world is required to provide support for states that face terrorism, topped by Egypt which is standing in the forefront of the battle against terror, they affirmed.

The Egyptian foreign minister raised the issue of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in light of the special relations binding Egypt and Italy.

Italy’s Salini Impregilo is responsible for the construction of the dam.

The Italian minister, for his part, offered the heartfelt condolences to the government and people of Egypt over the victims of a terrorist attack on Rawda mosque in North Sinai.

He asserted his country’s support for Egypt in the face of terrorism.