President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi receives Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani in Cairo. Photo: Egyptian Presidency
During the meeting, attended by Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty, Tajani expressed Italy's appreciation for Egypt's mediation efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, according to the Egyptian presidency.
Tajani also praised Egypt's tremendous efforts to restore regional stability, stressing Italy's commitment to ongoing consultation and coordination with Egypt in this regard.
The meeting served to reiterate Egypt's rejection of the displacement of Palestinians from their land or the liquidation of the Palestinian cause, stressing the need to resolve disputes peacefully and to push relentlessly for a ceasefire in Gaza.
According to the Egyptian presidency, both sides touched on Egypt's efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and facilitate the exchange of captives and detainees.
They also emphasized that the recognition of an independent Palestinian state based on the two-state solution is the only guarantee for achieving regional peace.
During the meeting, El-Sisi and Tajani addressed the latest developments in Syria, Libya, Sudan, and the Red Sea, as well as US-Iran talks on the Iranian nuclear program.
The meeting underscored Egypt's support for the stability and unity of those countries, as well as the protection of their resources, the Egyptian presidency said.
Irregular migration
During the meeting, both sides emphasized the importance of joint efforts to tackle irregular migration and to cooperate in the area of regular migration.
They stressed the need to support Egypt, given its record of preventing boats carrying irregular migrants from leaving its coast since 2016.
The Egyptian president and Italian foreign minister also highlighted Egypt’s hosting of around 9.5 million foreigners displaced by regional crises, according to the Egyptian presidency.
The meeting also addressed ways to enhance cooperation and develop partnerships in trade, investment, energy, food security, and agriculture.
Diplomatic discussions
After meeting with El-Sisi, Italy's FM met with Foreign Minister Abdelatty, where they held political consultations and discussed a range of mutual concerns for both countries.
During the meeting, Abdelatty emphasized Egypt's commitment to strengthening economic and investment ties with Italy and boosting trade exchange.
He praised the reactivation of the Egyptian-Italian Business Council and Egypt's efforts to attract foreign direct investment.
The meeting also covered cooperation in energy, renewable energy, and natural gas, given Egypt's natural resources and infrastructure.
In this context, Egypt's FM praised the key role played by Italian companies in the natural gas sector.
Both sides also witnessed the signing of two memoranda of understanding (MoUs) to promote decent work and mobility opportunities for Egyptians, as well as to cooperate on energy transition.
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