CAIRO — Heralding remarkable developments in Italian-Egyptian relations, Italian Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi arrived Aug. 4 in Cairo, marking the first visit of an Italian foreign minister to Egypt since 2015. Relations have been tense for more than two years following the 2016 murder of Italian postgraduate researcher Giulio Regeni in Egypt.

Observers believe this visit promotes Italian-Egyptian relations and indicates the two countries have overcome their disputes in the aftermath of Regeni’s murder. Milanesi's trip came on the heels of a July 18 visit to Cairo by Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, during which he met with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and General Intelligence Director Abbas Kamel.

Milanesi met Aug. 5 with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry, at the Foreign Ministry for a round of political deliberations. Afterward, during a joint press conference, the two officials talked about several common issues, primarily their concern over the Libyan civil war and illegal migration from many countries, in addition to the latest developments in Regeni’s murder investigation. Earlier, Milanesi also met with Sisi.

Italian-Egyptian relations went downhill after Regeni's body was found Feb. 3, 2016, bearing signs of intense torture. Regeni had disappeared nine days earlier, on the fifth anniversary of the January 25 Revolution. Cairo and Rome have always been allies in the Mediterranean area, and they have tight economic ties, but Italy recalled its ambassador in April for almost six months after the incident, citing a lack of progress on the inquiry.