TEHRAN, May 30 (NNN-IRNA) – Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, said yesterday that, his country welcomes the resumption of bilateral relations with Egypt.
“We welcome (the Omani sultan’s statement about) Egypt’s willingness to resume relations with Iran, and we have no problem in this regard,” Khamenei said, according to his official website.
The leader made the remarks in a meeting with visiting Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, who visited Cairo earlier in the month.
Khamenei expressed hope that with the expansion of relations among Islamic governments, the Muslim world would regain its splendor and grandeur.
The Iranian leader said, all Muslim peoples, countries and governments, will benefit from the convergence of their capacities and capabilities.
On May 21, Oman’s sultan met Egyptian President, Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, during a two-day official visit to Cairo, and discussed various bilateral, regional and international issues, with Egypt-Iran detente speculated to be among the topics.
Iran and Egypt severed diplomatic relations in 1980. In recent years, Iran has announced readiness to mend ties with Egypt, by settling differences on certain issues.
Following the March agreement, between Iran and Saudi Arabia, on the normalisation of their bilateral ties, and the former’s efforts to improve relations with regional Arab states over the past months, the likelihood of restoring relations between Tehran and Cairo has grown.
Turning to bilateral relations, the leader said, Tehran-Muscat ties are “age-old and deep-rooted,” adding, “We believe that the development of bilateral relations in all areas will be in both sides’ interests.”
Khamenei attached importance to the expansion of cooperation between Iran and Oman, as the two countries are located on both sides of the very important Strait of Hormuz.
The Omani sultan, for his part, said, the development of ties with neighbours, particularly Iran, is Oman’s policy, adding that, during his Tehran visit, officials of the two countries discussed bilateral cooperation in different areas.
Heading a high-ranking delegation, the Omani sultan arrived in Tehran on Sunday, on a two-day visit at Raisi’s invitation.– NNN-IRNA
