President Ahmadinejad: Egyptian Politicians Eager to Resume Ties with Iran

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad underlined that his recent visit to Cairo was unique, and said that the Egyptian politicians are greatly enthusiastic about resuming relations with Tehran.

Upon arrival at Tehran’s Mehrabad airport on Friday, Ahmadinejad spoke of the great enthusiasm of the Egyptian politicians for resuming full relations with Iran, and said his visit was unique in its kind and might never happen again (due to the termination of his presidency term).

He made the remarks after attending the 12th summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in the Egyptian capital city, Cairo, during which he held meetings with several high-ranking Egyptian officials.

After the collapse of Hosni Mubarak’s regime, the Iranian and Egyptian officials voiced their interest in the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries and Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi officially invited the then Egyptian counterpart Nabil Al-Arabi to pay a visit to Tehran.

Later, the Iranian foreign minister and his former Egyptian counterpart also held a meeting in Bali, Indonesia.

Also, during the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Tehran late August, President Ahmadinejad and his Egyptian counterpart Mohammad Mursi conferred on ways to promote the bilateral relations between Tehran and Cairo, and stressed the need for continued consultations in this regard.

In a latest development on Tuesday, Ahmadinejad met with Mursi, and reiterated Tehran’s preparedness to resume ties with Cairo.

The two presidents explored avenues for the further expansion of mutual cooperation between their countries.

President Ahmadinejad pointed to the ancient histories and civilizations of Iran and Egypt, and said that the two countries play crucial roles in regional politics.

“The relations of the two nations have always moved on a positive trend and we should now utilize all potentials to enhance the level of these relations,” he said.

Ahmadinejad noted that the Islamic Republic is ready to resume and broaden its relations with Egypt in all fields.

President Mursi, for his part, stressed Tehran and Cairo’s key role and influence in the region and the world, and said, “Today, cooperation between Iran and Egypt is necessary in all fields.”

After the collapse of Hosni Mubarak’s regime, the Iranian and Egyptian officials voiced their interest in the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries.