Tehran, April 26: Iran highlights the significance of promoting ties with Egypt, dismissing alleged fears that Tehran-Cairo relations might pose a threat to Arab interests in the region.
“Promoting ties between the two countries will be within the framework of the interests of the two nations,” Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Middle East Affairs Mohammad Reza Sheibani was quoted as saying in a foreign ministry media release on Tuesday.
“Definitely the interests of other regional countries will be considered in this kind of cooperation,” he added.
“This cooperation will not be against any Arab country in the region, rather these ties could help bolster multilateral relations between all regional states, including Saudi Arabia and even Turkey,” Sheibani said.
He emphasized the common points Iran shares with Egypt and the region’s other Arab nations in the fields of politics and economy as well as social and cultural areas.
These common points “will boost the capacity for convergence and cooperation among these countries,” he added.
Tehran and Cairo resumed their long-frozen relations earlier in April by inking a number of agreements in the field of tourism.
The agreement, the first since the fall of former Egyptian ruler Hosni Mubarak in January, will take effect once Egypt and Iran exchange respective ambassadors.
Iran severed ties with Egypt after Cairo signed the 1978 Camp David Accords with Israel and offered asylum to Iran’s deposed monarch Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
Earlier in April, Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi called for normalization of ties with Iran, saying Cairo is committed to improving relations with Tehran.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed “fear” and disappointment at Egypt’s plans to resume ties with the Islamic Republic.
—-Agencies