BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 26. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi met Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi on Monday to review the Italian energy group’s investment plans in the country and discuss new initiatives aimed at strengthening their longstanding partnership, Trend reports.
Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Petroleum Minister Karim Badawi also attended the meeting.
Descalzi outlined Eni’s recent upstream investments, which have reinforced its position as Egypt’s top oil and gas producer and supported a rise in gas output. He highlighted an exploration drilling campaign launched in the Mediterranean in October 2025 and said Eni would continue an expanded exploration and drilling programme across its operated areas, focusing on short-cycle, infrastructure-led projects and extending the life of legacy assets in Sinai and the offshore Nile Delta.
The two also discussed Egypt’s ambition to build a strategic role as a natural gas hub for the Eastern Mediterranean. Eni’s development of the Cronos field offshore Cyprus could help advance Cairo’s goal of acting as a regional gateway for gas.
Descalzi additionally briefed el-Sisi on Eni’s plans to deepen its social and health investments in Egypt, with the company aiming to support capacity building and improve the management of complex health infrastructures.
Eni, operating in the country through its subsidiary IEOC, produced around 280,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in Egypt in 2024.