Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, speaks during a press conference at the Egyptian foreign ministry headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, June 13, 2016 (AP)
Egypt has expressed "discomfort" with the decision of the Italian senate to suspend the supply of spare parts for F16 warplanes to Egypt over the early-2016 murder of Italian student Giulio Regeni in Cairo, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday.
"This move is not consistent with the level of cooperation that has existed between investigative authorities in both countries since the beginning of the [Regeni case]," the Egyptian foreign ministry said.
The ministry added that "Egypt will monitor developments in this regard to make the right decision with respect to the manner in which Egyptian-Italian relations are managed," while assuring Egypt’s wish to sustain relations at a level that achieves the interests of the two countries.
The Italian senate voted Wednesday to halt supplies of the spare parts for Egypt's American-made F16 warplanes in protest of Cairo’s handling of the investigation into the killing of Regeni, whose body was found with signs of torture by a Cairo roadside in January.
Wednesday's move is considered the first commercial measure taken by Italy against Egypt over the issue.
In May, Italy appointed Giampaolo Cantini as its new ambassador to Cairo, but said its decision to recall its ambassador in April has not changed, accusing Egypt of not cooperating fully in the investigation of Regeni's murder.
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