Italy has asked Egypt's help in stemming the growing influx of migrants in the Mediterranean and in battling the human traffickers who arrange their journeys to Europe, foreign minister Antonio Tajani said on Tuesday.
"Italy has requested the Egyptian government's cooperation in fighting illegal immigration and human trafficking, because without the collaboration of a major country such as Egypt, it will be hard to solve these problems, " Tajani told reporters in Cairo.
"We certainly need Europe and the United Nations. We need to be braver and to act swiftly," Tajani stated-
Tajani is spearheading a delegation that arrived in Egypt on Tuesday for a visit aimed at launching an Italy-Egypt food safety partnership to strengthen Egypt's food system and to step up bilateral cooperation in the agrifood sector, according to a foreign ministry statement.
During his visit, Tajani was slated to hold talks with Egypt's president Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, premier Mostafa Madbouly and various cabinet ministers, the statement said.
