Egypt s new Ambassador to Italy Hesham Badr has presented his credentials to the country s President Sergio Mattarella in Rome, where he handed over a message from President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi underlining his interest in enhancing bilateral relations between the countries, offical news agency MENA reported.
In the case of Giulio Regini, the Egyptian president reaffirmed in his message the "commitment of Egypt s political leadership to continue close cooperation between investigation bodies in both countries, with Cairo s complete commitment to reveal the truth of the incident and bring its perpetrators to justice."
For his part, the Italian president expressed his appreciation to President El-Sisi, stressing the importance given by his country to strengthening bilateral relations and consultation on issues of mutual interest, especially illegal immigration and regional issues including the situation in Libya.
Political relations between Egypt and Italy witnessed tensions since Regeni, a Cambridge University graduate student, disappeared in Cairo on 25 January 2016. Regini s body was found in early February showing signs of extreme torture.
Rome recalled its ambassador to Cairo in April 2016, expressing concerns about the alleged lack of transparency in Egypt s subsequent investigations.
Earlier this month, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Angelino Alfano announced that his country was sending Giampaolo Cantini on 14 September as Italian ambassador to Egypt to fill the position that had been vacant for more than a year, state-run news agency MENA reported.
Egyptian authorities have been conducting an investigation to determine who killed Regeni and are updating Rome on developments while prosecutors in both countries exchanged visits to share information related to the ongoing inquiry.
