Return of Italy’s ambassador to Egypt is a must: senator

CAIRO – 12 MAY 2017: The return of the Italian ambassador to Egypt has become necessary at the present time, said the Chairman of the Italian Senate’s Defense Committee, Nicola Latorre, on Thursday.

Latorre told the Italian newspaper La Stampa that solving Regini’s death case is critical but that the case has nothing to do with the proposed return of the Italian ambassador to Egypt, saying that Italy's diplomatic presence would serve to alleviate any tension that might exist between the two countries.

Latorre also suggested to La Stampa that serious repercussions would result if the Italian diplomat is not reinstated.

Latorre said that Italy has been diligently exerting efforts at putting a stop to human trafficking and stifling illegal migrations in the Mediterranean region but that there is far more success to be reaped if Egyptian agencies re-collaborate with the Italian ones, thus making the return of the Italian ambassador all the more imperative.

In April 2016, Italy recalled its ambassador to Cairo Maurizio Massari over the death of Italian researcher Regeni, who was found killed in Cairo on Feb.3, 2016 nine days after his disappearance. Cairo was on a police lockdown on Jan. 25 to prevent protests marking the anniversary of Egypt’s 2011 uprising that overthrew longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.