President Abdul Fattah Al-Sisi said that the murder of the Italian student Giulio Regeni will not affect the “strong bilateral relations” with Italy, during a meeting with a delegation from the Nato Parliamentary Assembly in Cairo on Tuesday.
Al-Sisi stated that Egypt is committed to providing full cooperation with Italy to reveal the truth of Regeni’s murder, and bring all perpetrators to justice, according to presidential spokesperson Alaa Youssef.
Al-Sisi further stated that Egypt is concerned with revealing the circumstances of the disappearance of Egyptian citizen Adel Moawd in Italy, who has been unaccounted for since October 2015.
Regeni, 28, was found dead in a ditch alongside the Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road on 3 February, nine days after his disappearance, amid allegations of possible security involvement due to his research related to Egypt’s labour movement and connections to workers’ unions and members of the Egyptian opposition.
The Egyptian government has strongly denied speculations that Regeni was murdered or tortured by security forces.
During the meeting with Nato Parliamentary Assembly delegation, Al-Sisi discussed the latest developments in Libya, affirming the necessity of international involvement to end the country’s civil conflict. He further noted that military action is not enough to resolve the political conflict.
He explained that the uncompleted Nato military operations in Libya led to the failure of countering insurgents there, and gave them power to expand in several Libyan areas.
Al Sisi’s statements come after sharp statements from Italian foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni, who vowed to undertake “’immediate action” against Egypt unless it sees progress in Regeni’s case, saying Italy will accept only the truth regarding his murder.
The Nato Parliamentary Assembly delegation also met with Egyptian Defence Minister Sedki Sobhi on Wednesday to discuss issues of common interest in the Middle East and Africa, according to a video of the meeting published through Armed Forces Spokesperson’s official Facebook page.
