by Mahmoud Fouly
CAIRO, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- The recent breakthrough in the Egyptian-Italian diplomatic ties after an 18-month rift has been motivated by a combination of political and economic factors including Cairo's regional role in fighting terror and illegal immigration as well as the massive economic and trade relations between the two countries, said Egyptian experts.
Rome announced on Monday intention to return its ambassador to Cairo after its previous envoy was recalled in April 2016 over the ambiguous murder of a 28-year-old Italian doctoral student, Giulio Regeni, whose tortured, half-naked body was found in early February 2016 on a distant roadside just outside Cairo.
The decision was welcomed by Cairo that decided in turn to appoint a new ambassador to Rome.
"The main motivation is the long, deep-rooted bilateral relations between Egypt and Italy, particularly the political, economic and security ties," said Noha Bakr, a political science professor at the American University in Cairo.
While Egypt plays a key role in collecting efforts for a political settlement in neighboring war-torn Libya, a main terror and migrant exporter to Europe, military and security cooperation between Egypt and Italy continues as a main factor for the security of their Mediterranean Sea shores.
"Italy suffers inflow of terrorism, organized crimes and illegal immigration through the Mediterranean Sea where Egypt plays a key role to maintain its maritime security," Bakr told Xinhua.
She explained that 60 percent of Italian trade passes through Egypt's Suez Canal and Italy is the fifth largest investor in Egypt with key investments worth 2.6 billion euros (3.5 billion U.S. dollars) annually, adding that Italy has invested in Egypt over 15.5 billion euros since 1970.
Italy's oil major firm Eni announced in early August that it intends to pump investments of 3.5 billion dollars into Egypt in 2018, noting it represents half of Eni's investments planned for the year.
The Italian company, which has been operating in Egypt for over 60 years, announced in August 2015 the discovery of the largest gas field, Zohr, in the Egyptian offshore of the Mediterranean Sea, saying it could hold a potential of 30 trillion cubic feet (850 billion cubic meters) of lean gas in a place covering an area of about 100 square km.
"The investment and trade relations between Egypt and Italy are a win-win situation for the economies of both states," Bakr said, noting that Italy is also the world's sixth and Europe's third largest tourist exporter to Egypt.
Italy said that resuming diplomatic relations with Egypt will not affect the probe into the death of Regeni, who visited Cairo to research labor movements in Egypt.
Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni reassured Regeni's parents on Monday of Italy's continued commitment to bringing the murderers to justice, according to Italian news agency ANSA.
Italy in the beginning was not satisfied with the relevant investigation and information offered by the Egyptian side, which led to the rift.
"But eventually the Egyptian general prosecutor's office showed earnest and intensified judicial cooperation with the Italian side, which helped thaw the tense ties," the professor told Xinhua.
On the other hand, an Italian tourist has recently beaten to death an Egyptian engineer supervising work at a Red Sea hotel. Besides, a couple of Egyptian citizens were also murdered and disappeared in Italy over the past year. All might have pressured Italy to resume ties with the most populous Arab state.
"The Italian initial reaction to Regeni's death and the withdrawal of their ambassador to Cairo did not go with the old and firm ties between Egypt and Italy," said Mohamed Nehad Asqalani, Egypt's former assistant foreign minister.
Cairo has a large weight in the region and the Egyptian wise, coherent and fixed foreign policy principles eventually helped contain the rift with Italy, the ex-diplomat said.
"Egypt's foreign policy principles and the Western need for Cairo's influence in the chaotic Middle East region led to a positive approach between Egypt and Italy in particular and the European world in general," Asqalani told Xinhua.
