Egypt, Italy to implement strategic partnership

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi said Egypt welcomes the Italian officials as well as companies, which have a record of fruitful work in Egypt, noting that there are broad prospects for economic co-operation at all levels.

The president’s remarks came on Tuesday as he received a high-level Italian delegation, headed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation Antonio Tajani.

The delegation included Minister of University and Research Anna Maria Bernini, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Riccardo Guariglia and a number of Italian officials of major companies working in several fields, particularly, agriculture, land reclamation and food industries, as well as the Italian ambassador in Cairo.

From the Egyptian side, the meeting was also attended by the Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Sameh Shoukri, Minister for International Co-operation Rania al-Mashat, and Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, El-Sayed El-Quseir, Presidency Spokesman Ahmed Fahmy said.

He added that Tajani’s visit to Cairo, heading an expanded trade mission from major Italian companies, comes within Egypt’s long-standing friendly relations with Italy, and the strong political will of both sides to develop and advance these relations to serve the interests of the two friendly peoples.

The Italian side pointed out that this visit comes to activate the strategic partnership between the two countries and lay the foundation for further economic co-operation by strengthening the presence of Italian companies in Egypt, particularly, in the fields of agriculture and food.

This is in light of the vital importance of working to achieve food security during the current phase, in which the world suffers from successive crises in this regard.

The meeting also discussed a number of topics regarding bilateral co-operation, as well as exchanging views on regional and international issues of mutual interest.

The issue of illegal migration and efforts to co-operate in the field of energy were also discussed. The two sides agreed to continue working on these areas in the coming period to maximise the utilisation of the two countries’ great potential and continue coordination to face the growing international political and economic challenges.