Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi held talks with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Friday in Japan's Osaka on the sidelines of the G-20 summit, said Presidential Spokesman Ambassador Bassam Rady. According to the Egyptian presidency's statement, El-Sisi and Conte discussed a set of topics on mutual interest, particularly the investigations of the case of the murder of Italian student Giulio Regeni in Egypt. They discussed the latest regional developments, especially the Libyan crisis. President El-Sisi underscored the necessity of reaching a peaceful political settlement for the Libyan crisis to preserve its unity. In the meeting, the Egyptian president praised the distinguished relations between Egypt and Italy, which have resulted in positive progress recently. He also spoke about the importance of having a trilateral cooperation between Egypt, Italy and Africa, especially in light of Egypt's current chairmanship of the African Union, which was highlighted during his meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. From his side, the Italian prime minister expressed appreciations of Egypt's regional role as a key pillar of security and stability in the Middle East. He asserted his country's eagerness to boost cooperation with Egypt at various levels, in light of the country's economic development according to the statement of the Egyptian presidency.
