Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources has signed five joint agreements with Italian companies to launch new projects of oil and gas search as well as developing the Egyptian oil refineries, Al Bawaba news reported Sunday. In a statement, the ministry said that the Italian company will provide %85 of the total funds for expanding the MIDOR refinery laboratory in Alexandria and hydrocracking in the Asyut refinery lab which worth $ 2.8 billion. Petroleum Minister, Sherif Ismail has praised the extended Egyptian-Italian cooperation as a remarkable example of contribution in promoting bilateral relations between the two countries.