Iran Reiterates Readiness to Resume Ties with Egypt

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad here on Tuesday stressed affinity between the two Iranian and Egyptian nations, saying that Tehran’s preparedness to open embassy in Cairo displays the good intention of the Iranian nation. Speaking to reporters upon his arrival at Mehrabad airport from a three-day tour of the United Arab Emirates and Oman, the Iranian president said, “In the press conference in (the United Arab) Emirates, the reporter of the Egyptian paper ‘Al-Ahram’ voiced concern about the general conditions dominating the world of Islam and stressed the significant role of Iran and Egypt in removing the said concerns.”

“The reporter said that absence of ties between Iran and Egypt has prevented regional nations from building up their potentials to revise their affairs and make progress,” he continued.

Ahmadinejad also added, “Since we found his words appropriate, we welcomed his views.

“Iran and Egypt are two countries with ancient civilizations and cultures, which play an important and influential role in the world of Islam. The two nations love each other and are interested in each other. We, as representatives of the nation, should reflect their demands,” the Iranian president said.

“The same reporter called on Iran to volunteer for the resumption of ties, and I, in response, said that we are prepared to inaugurate our embassy in Cairo if the Egyptian government voices its preparedness to do so.

This indicates the best intentions of the Iranian nation. We are not at odds with any nation, and the reason why we do not maintain relations with some regimes like the Zionist regime of Israel is that we do not recognize their legitimacy at all,” he said.

Ahmadinejad further underlined that to Iran, the US administration differs from the Zionist regime, reminding that if Washington revises its attitude towards Iran and approaches Tehran on equal terms, the problems between the two countries would be solved.

“But the case with Egypt is totally different as it is a member of the Islamic Ummah (nation), we view the Egyptian nation as our own brother, there exists feelings of fraternity between the two nations and we think that the two states’ relations would serve their interests as well as the interests of the region and the world of Islam,” the Iranian president concluded.