The Ministry of International Cooperation said that the cooperation portfolio between Egypt and Italy amounted to about €82m in various development sectors and that the debt swap programme was one of the main pillars of cooperation between the two sides. It said that three components of the programme worth $350m had been implemented. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation, met with Edmondo Cirelli, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in the Italian government, to discuss the bilateral cooperation programmes and debt swaps. The Minister of International Cooperation commended the close partnership with the Italian side in the areas of bilateral cooperation and debt swap programmes, which funded many priority development projects in food security, energy, water, education, higher education, civil society and other sectors. She emphasized the Ministry of International Cooperation's commitment to enhancing development cooperation efforts through the four principles of the "Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation," which are state ownership, focus on results, inclusive partnerships, and transparency and accountability. She also highlighted the key aspects of the partnership between Egypt and the European side, under the "Team Europe" initiative, which outlined the cooperation and joint work between the two sides since its launch in 2020, and its impact on development efforts. On his part, Edmondo Cirelli, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in the Italian government, expressed the Italian side's appreciation for the political and economic relations with Egypt, especially in the field of food security. He stressed that Italy was eager to maintain relations with Egypt and see more progress.
