Egypt’s Ambassador to Rome Bassam Rady said the Egyptian-Italian Joint Higher Committee will convene in Cairo on September 3, chaired by the foreign ministers of the two countries.
The meeting will be the committee’s first in 10 years, marking a significant milestone in the development of bilateral ties between Cairo and Rome.
The committee, which brings together a number of ministers and senior officials from both sides, will discuss all aspects of bilateral relations, as well as political issues of mutual interest.
Rady, who also serves as Egypt’s Permanent Representative to the UN agencies in Rome, said Egypt and Italy would also relaunch the Egyptian-Italian Joint Business Forum, bringing together business leaders, Italian trade organisations, companies, business associations and investment institutions from both countries.
The forum aims to identify tangible and practical opportunities to expand economic, trade and industrial co-operation and take bilateral ties to broader horizons, in line with the strength of the partnership between the two countries.
Italy is Egypt’s largest trading partner among European Union member states and its fourth-largest trading partner worldwide, Rady noted.
The Joint Business Forum will discuss trade and investment projects between the two countries, financial support for bilateral economic partnerships, and prospects for co-operation in key sectors.
It will also feature in-depth discussions on transport and logistics, machinery — including agricultural, textile and furniture equipment — infrastructure, telecommunications and energy, alongside business-to-business meetings between Italian and Egyptian companies.
Italy is one of Egypt’s most important trading partners globally, with Italian companies maintaining a strong presence across a wide range of sectors, from energy and agriculture to mechanical engineering and construction.
The close economic ties between the two countries are reflected in substantial trade and direct investment, underscoring the strength and depth of their economic partnership.
Egypt is also a key priority country under Italy’s new strategy for development in Africa, known as the Mattei Plan. The strategy focuses on six main areas: education and training, healthcare, energy, water, agriculture and infrastructure.
Implementation of the plan in Egypt is based on a comprehensive approach that combines development co-operation instruments, public-private partnerships and direct private-sector engagement.
Rady stressed that the significant progress in Egyptian-Italian relations has been driven primarily by the direct support of the two countries’ leaders, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
