Cairo – Italy and Egypt signed a bilateral agreement for the financing of a program to support agricultural machinery. The agreement was signed at the sidelines of the Sharm El Sheikh Conference on Economic Development, with the Italian Ambassador to Egypt, Maurizio Massari, and the Egyptian Minister for International Cooperation, Naglaa El Ahwany. The event launched a new initiative worth approximately €22 million funded by the European Union in the field of Agriculture and Rural Development. The agreement, announced by the Italian Embassy in Cairo, includes the parallel Italian co-financing within the European program, and will cover the governorates of Minya and Fayoum in support of agricultural mechanization services. The project will be implemented by the Italian Directorate General for Cooperation Development at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in the framework of a delegated cooperation agreement. (9Colonne)