Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukri, Ministry of Industry and Foreign Trade Mounir Fakhri Abdel-Nour, Minister of Investment Ashraf Salman and Minister of Supply and Internal Trade Khaled Hanafi accompanied President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi on his first visit to Europe since taking office. During the four-day tour the president met his Italian counterpart Giorgio Napolitano and conducted separate meetings with the head of the Italian parliament Pietro Grasso, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni. The president and his delegation also met with Italian businessmen to discuss ways of increasing Italian investment in Egypt. Al-Sisi told Napolitano that Egypt had already completed two of the three main steps outlined in the political road map posited following the removal of Mohamed Morsi. A new constitution was now in place and presidential elections held. “The remaining step, parliamentary elections, will be completed during the first quarter of 2015, before the International Economic Forum Egypt will hold in March,” said Al-Sisi. The president also focused on Egypt's efforts to combat terrorism. “These efforts are not only for Egypt's welfare but that of the whole region and Europe. Many European countries are seeing a growing number of their citizens joining terrorist groups,” said Al-Sisi. During a press conference held by Al-Sisi and Renzi the president underlined the European role in combating terrorism in the region. “We expect genuine solutions, and support for Egypt in boosting its economy and combating terrorism,” said Al-Sisi. Renzi said Egypt was a strategic partner and “our countries both share the problems of the Mediterranean region”. During his meetings with Pope Francis and the Vatican's Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, Al-Sisi dicussed relations between Al-Azhar and the Catholic Church, says presidential spokesman Alaa Youssef. The visit to the Vatican was the first by an Egyptian president for eight years. President Al-Sisi met Pope Francis for 20 minutes during which he presented a silver box as a gift and received a papal medallion and a papal document “The Joy of the Gospel”. “Al-Sisi's visit to the Vatican reflects the president's profound appreciation of Pope Francis's efforts to halt military intervention in Syria and his support for humanitarian and developmental projects across the world, and particularly in southern Africa and the Palestinian territories,” said Youssef. Al-Sisi headed to France on 25 November. On 26 November he met with French President Francois Hollande at the Elysée Palace and later held separate meetings with the heads of parliament and the Senate, Minister of Foreign Affairs Laurent Fabius and Minister of Defence Jean-Yves Le Drian. He also met with French investors, businessmen and representatives of French tourism companies. The president's visits to Italy and France focused on efforts exerted by Egypt and other countries to combat terrorism, paying special attention to the situation in Libya, and on the Egyptian government's economic plans. “The economic file and reinforcing mutual relations with both European countries topped the president's agenda,” said Youssef. Other topics discussed included the situations in Palestine, Iraq and Syria and the war against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Italy is Egypt's leading trading partner in the European Union (EU) and its third after the US and China. Trade between the two countries was estimated at $6 billion in 2013. Italian investments in Egypt are estimated at $2.6 billion and cover transport, construction, banking and automobile components. “Al-Sisi's visit to Italy reflects Egyptian interest in boosting bilateral relations,” says Dahlia Hegazi, professor of economics at Cairo University's Faculty of Economics and Political Science. Italy, she adds, increasingly focusing its attentions on the Mediterranean basin “and this is of great interest to the Egyptian side”. One goal of Al-Sisi's visit to Italy, says Hegazi, was to convey to Italian businessmen the message that Egypt is open for business. Al-Sisi underlined legislative and procedural initiatives intended to reduce red tape, and the accompanying delegation detailed key investment projects already being implemented and others in the pipeline. “The president's visit to Italy and France took on additional significance given Egypt is preparing for an international economic forum to convene in March next year. Visits to other European countries are to be expected in the near future as Egypt seeks to drum up support for its economy,” adds Hegazi. Aliya Al-Mahdi, professor at Cairo University's Faculty of Economics and Political Science, says Al-Sisi's visit to France reflects a mutual desire to strengthen relations. “Both countries want greater cooperation in the fields of trade and investment. Italy, Germany, Denmark and the US have already lifted travel warnings on visiting Egypt and other EU countries are moving to do the same,” says Al-Mahdi. Paris and Cairo share deep concerns over the situation in Libya. Both Egypt and France believe the terrorist threat in Libya warrants the same level of attention as that is being paid to ISIS.
