Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani is in Cairo today on a mission aimed at strengthening the partnership between Italy and Egypt, fostering cooperation on key regional issues and developing economic and trade relations. During the visit, Tajani will meet President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, with whom he will chair the Joint Italian-Egyptian Commission. The Minister for the Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, and the Minister for Labour and Social Policies, Marina Calderone, will also be taking part in the mission.
The talks will address the situation in the Middle East, starting with Gaza and Egypt’s mediating role, the prospect of a two-state solution, stability in Lebanon and Libya, the situation in Sudan and the Horn of Africa, and the security of maritime routes, particularly in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea. Discussions will also cover cooperation in combating terrorism, human traffickers and irregular migration, alongside the promotion of legal and skilled labour mobility schemes between the two countries.
A key part of the mission will be dedicated to ‘Diplomacy for Growth’. Tajani will take part in the Italy-Egypt Business Forum, which will be attended by over one hundred Italian companies, nearly 600 participants, and feature 1,000 scheduled B2B meetings, with the aim of strengthening trade and investment between the two countries and creating new opportunities for Italian businesses. Energy and the green transition, infrastructure, advanced industrial technologies, digitalisation and agritech will be among the key sectors at the heart of the discussions. In 2025, bilateral trade reached €5.9 billion, up 11.7 per cent, with a further increase of 7.5 per cent in the first five months of 2026.
Finally, the visit will help to consolidate cooperation under the Mattei Plan, for which Egypt is one of the focus countries and a priority partner. Particular attention will be paid to technical and vocational training and skills development, to offer new opportunities to young Egyptians whilst helping to meet the demand for skilled workers in the Italian manufacturing sector.
