Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry held an official session of talks in Rome on Thursday with his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio on means of boosting bilateral ties in different fields, as well as regional and international issues of common concern. During their talks, Shoukry lauded the long-standing ties with Italy, stressing the need to build on the current momentum in the two countries' relations, Spokesman for the Foreign Ministry Ahmed Hafez said. Shoukry also stressed Egypt's keenness to promote joint action with Italy to achieve the aspirations of the two countries' peoples, in addition to addressing common challenges, the spokesman added. With regard to the killing of Italian student Giulio Regeni, the two ministers agreed on continuing the existing cooperation between the Egyptian and Italian judicial bodies in this issue, according to the spokesman. The two sides discussed ways of elevating economic ties to higher levels, given that Italy is considered a key European partner for Egypt and one of most important markets for Egyptian exports, the spokesman noted. Shoukry stressed the importance of implementing a debt swap program, which in turn could provide new opportunities for development cooperation between the two countries, the spokesman said. Egypt looks forward to cementing cooperation with Italy in energy field, especially the natural gas, the spokesman quoted Shoukry as saying. The pair also exchanged views on the latest regional developments, notably the Syrian crisis, the Palestinian cause and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) issue. Concerning the situation in Libya, the two ministers discussed the negative impact of signing of a military cooperation agreement and a maritime boundaries deal between Turkey and Libya, as they violate the 2015 Skhirat agreement and undermine efforts to reach a comprehensive political settlement. Shoukry and Di Maio voiced their concern over the impact of recent developments in Libya on efforts to combat terrorism and radical militias, as well as the phenomenon of illegal immigration, the spokesman said. Shoukry posted the Italian minister on Egypt's efforts to curb the phenomenon of illegal emigration. On his part, the Italian minister said that Italy is keen on promoting relations with Egypt, especially in light of the central role played by Cairo to consolidate regional stability
