Italian Foreign Minister Paulo Gentiloni recognised Egypt’s collaboration with Italy in terms of investigating the death of Italian student Giulio Regeni during a phone call with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shourky on Saturday.
Shoukry and Gentiloni also discussed the Libyan issue and potential ways to resolve it, according to an official statement by the Egyptian foreign ministry. They also discussed potential ways of bilateral collaboration and fostering ties between both countries.
The death of Cambridge student Regeni in Cairo in February attracted global attention and garnered suspicion towards Egyptian authorities after it was suspected security forces were involved in Regeni’s death.
The European Parliament recently held a plenary session in Strasbourg where MEPs discussed reported cases of human rights violations and the necessity to adopt urgent resolutions against Egypt.
This follows a motion for a resolution, addressing the condition of human rights in the country, with particular focus on the case of Regeni.
The resolution recommended an EU-wide embargo on the export of any form of security equipment and military aid to Egypt, condemning the continued security cooperation and arms dealing between Egypt and EU member states, notably France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
Egyptian authorities deny involvement in the case. The Interior Ministry have denied claims of torturing or interrogating Regeni. Moreover, United Nations representative Amro Ramadan reportedly fired back against US and EU criticism, saying that alleged human rights violations in Egypt are meaningless and lack credibility.
He asserted that Egypt does not carry out forced disappearances, claiming that those alleged to have disappeared were, in fact, arrested over clear charges following a decision by the prosecution, and their families were notified and a lawyer attended the proceedings.
Regeni, 28, was found in a ditch along the Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road on 3 February, nine days after his disappearance.
