Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, Dr Badr Abdelatty, held separate meetings in Rome on Tuesday, November 26, with his Italian and Congolese counterparts. The meetings took place during a visit to Italy, where Abdelatty attended the G7 Foreign Ministers' meeting. During a meeting with Italy's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, Abdelatty highlighted the strong bilateral relationship between Egypt and Italy. According to a statement by Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ambassador Tayem Khalifa, the ministers discussed the close coordination between the leaderships of both countries, specifically noting the excellent relationship between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The ministers reviewed bilateral relations, with Abdelatty emphasizing the importance of increasing trade and revitalising the Egyptian-Italian Business Council to strengthen ties between both governments and the private sectors. He highlighted the positive contribution of Italian companies to the Egyptian market and Egypt's efforts to attract foreign investment through government reforms designed to create a better investment climate. He expressed hope for increased Italian investment in Egypt. The ministers also discussed coordination on mutual candidacies in international forums and explored areas of cooperation including food security, energy, infrastructure, agriculture, transport, and logistics. They addressed cooperation on migration, with Abdelatty noting excellent bilateral collaboration in this area and the importance of expanding vocational training programs to benefit both Egyptian and Italian markets. The ministers also discussed regional developments in the Middle East. Abdelatty underscored the importance of providing unconditional humanitarian aid to Gaza to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people, mentioning Cairo's upcoming ministerial conference on December 2nd to improve the humanitarian response in Gaza. He also raised concerns about the deteriorating situation in the West Bank due to Israel's settlement expansion policy. Separately, Abdelatty met with the Congolese Minister of Foreign Affairs, John Claude Gakuzo. Minister Gakuzo conveyed greetings from Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and expressed his country's desire to strengthen bilateral ties and cooperation with Egypt. He stressed the importance of ongoing consultations on African matters. Abdelatty and Gakuzo discussed strengthening bilateral cooperation in agriculture, education, and infrastructure, as well as regional issues, including security and stability in Africa. They explored improving collaboration within regional organizations, notably the African Union, and agreed to support each other's candidacies in regional and international organizations. Abdelatty thanked Congo for its support of Egypt's candidate for the UNESCO Director-General position.
