Nabila Makram, Minister of Immigration and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs, met with Italy's Ambassador to Gianpaolo Cantini to celebrate the Italian community and its long history in Egypt as part of the Ministry's Roots Revival Initiative.
The meeting shed light on the humanitarian stories of members of the community, especially after the success of the initiative with the Greek and Cypriot communities, to renew its launch under the title "Rivivere Le Radici".
The Minister pointed out that the Italian community in Egypt has historically contributed to the building of modern Egypt in various fields such as education, trade, industry, medicine, art, culture, fashion, and architecture.
In another context, the meeting also discussed the latest developments regarding the equivalence of the Egyptian and Italian licenses.
Makram pointed out that she had contacted the Egyptian Ambassador to Rome Hisham Badr, who in turn informed her that he had received the agreement from the Egyptian side after completing its review.
On his part, the Italian Ambassador expressed his appreciation to the Minister for the warm reception, stressing that Egypt is his second country and will remain keen to strengthen and consolidate relations with the Egyptian citizens.
He also welcomed cooperation with the Minister of Immigration in the initiative, stressing that the Italian community is the second-largest in Egypt after the Greek one.
In this context, Cantini reviewed the role of Italians within the Egyptian society since ancient times, especially in architecture, art, culture, and fashion, as well as education, embodied in the famous "Istituto Tecnico Industriale Salesiano-Don Bosco" in Cairo.
On the issue of the equivalence of the Egyptian and Italian licenses, Cantini pledged to complete the agreement and activate it to help boost relations between the two countries.
It is worth mentioning that the “Roots Revival” initiative is the first of its kind worldwide. It aims to revive the popular celebration of foreign communities living in Egypt, through customs that have been mixed over the years under a common history.
The initiative was first launched by the Ministry of Immigration in April 2018 under the auspices of the three heads of state of Egypt, Greece and Cyprus, to celebrate the Greek and Cypriot communities living in Egypt, to strengthen the friendship and historical ties.
Contributed by: Taarek Refaat
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