CAIRO, September 17, 2018 - President Abdel Fattah El Sisi asserted on Monday Egypt's keenness on intensifying co-operation with Italy in various fields in a way that reflects historical relations and links between the peoples of the two countries. The president's assertion of this attitude was highlighted during his meeting with President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies Roberto Fico. Attending the meeting were House of Deputies Speaker Dr Ali Abdel Aal and Rome's Ambassador to Cairo Giampaolo Cantini, Presidency Spokesman Ambassador Bassam Radi said. The current visit to Cairo by the president of the Italian Chamber of Deputies is the fourth high-level mission to the Egyptian capital in less than two months. Called ' Camera dei deputati' in Italian, the Chamber is a house of the bicameral Parliament of Italy and the Senate of the Republic. During the meeting, President Sisi welcomed the top Italian parliamentarian and expressed willingness to consolidate parliamentary relations and intensify the exchange of visits between officials of the two countries. President Sisi also highlighted that such visits constitute a good opportunity to push forward cooperation and the exchange of viewpoints at various levels, Spokesman Radi said. The meeting also included discussion on the case of the Italian student Giulio Regeni, Spokesman Radi said, adding that President Sisi reiterated in this regard Egypt's keenness on reaching the truth, the commitment of Egyptian authorities to full transparency with the Italian side and co-operation between the Egyptian Public Prosecution and its Italian equivalent. President Sisi also directed that any obstacles undermining ongoing investigations be removed so that the case can be settled and the perpetrators be identified and brought to justice. On illegal migration, President Sisi asserted that Egypt proved it is a pioneering, credible partner in the field of combatting illegal migration and had taken effective measures at the legislative and economic levels to secure borders and control its coasts, in effect stopping the flow of illegal migration from Egyptian borders since 2016. For his part, the Italian official expressed gratification over his visit to Egypt and his meeting with President Sisi, asserting historical and long-standing relations between the two countries and the recent development of co-operation between them especially in the economic and trade field, Spokesman Radi said. Mr Fico said that he is looking forward to intensifying co-operation in the parliamentary field in a way that contributes to enhancing bilateral relations and pushing these relations forward to new horizons, the Presidency Spokesman said. Mr Fico also expressed his country's appreciation of Egypt's strong will to reach the truth which both sides are now searching for, as well as Egypt's willingness to arrest the perpetrators of the crime through co-operation – a matter that will have positive effect on the Italian public opinion. He pointed out that he is looking forward to speeding up the settlement of the case in a way that contributes to pushing forward relations between the two countries and enhancing co-operation.
