By Manal Abdel Fattah
Italian Business Minister and Senator Adolfo Orso confirmed that his current visit to Egypt aims to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries, which was launched by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during her recent meeting with President Sisi.
He added, “I agreed today with the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Amr Talaat, to establish an artificial intelligence center in Egypt, which is one of the goals of the G7 group.”
I also discussed with the Minister of Trade and Industry, Ahmed Samir, pioneering projects for the two countries that are part of the “MATI” plan for Africa, such as projects for the Leather City, the Furniture City, and also Marble.
This came during a press conference organized by the Italian Embassy in Cairo, on Monday, in the presence of the Italian Ambassador, Michele Quaroni.
Orso continued: I also spoke with the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Tarek El Molla, about 3 axes of cooperation between the two countries.
The first axis: in oil and gas, which is the sector in which Eni operates successfully.
The second axis: in the field of raw materials required and important for the green technology industry.
The third axis: in the field of renewable energy.
It is clear that Italy adopted the “Mattei” plan for Africa and allocated 5 billion euros to it because the government of Georgia Meloni sees the importance of this plan for Europe and Africa.
The plan in Africa stipulates the participation of 9 leading countries, including, above all, Egypt. The projects are concerned with basic primary products, thus developing agriculture and industrial cities, and using the necessary raw materials in technology important to Europe and Africa.
He explained that the “Matti” plan also concerns the future economy, such as the space economy, and a memorandum of understanding will be signed tomorrow between the Italian Space Agency and the Egyptian Space Agency, which is a prelude to an agreement that will be signed between the two countries.
Orso continued: Next week, I will visit an Italian space base in Kenya, which will be the headquarters for training and qualification courses for African astronauts.
He added, our partnership and the “MATI” plan are not only concerned with the present but also with the future, as we have a determination to cooperate with Egypt in the petroleum sector to implement the European plan for critical raw materials.
In a few days, a list of European raw materials will be signed, and there is a plan to make Europe self-sufficient in critical materials and reduce dependence on China.
This is what can be achieved between Egypt and Italy by extracting the critical raw materials that Europe needs.
Orso announced that his country had recently stopped heading towards Eastern Europe after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, and that the new directives should be for the Middle East and the Arab world.
Orso is scheduled to meet tomorrow, Tuesday, with the Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, Mohamed Shaker, and companies working in the field of water resources, which is a very important sector for the Egyptian development and economy.
Finally, a round table will be organized on the field of digitization with the participation of relevant agencies and companies in both countries.
