Political, economic and parliamentary movements between Egypt and Iran have increased the chances of improving ties between the two countries, heralding the return of relations between Cairo and Tehran.
Speaker of the Egyptian Parliament Hanafi Gebaly and his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, stressed “the importance of cooperation between Egypt and Iran,” during their meeting in Johannesburg, days after talks between Egyptian Minister of Finance and the Iranian Minister of Economy, and another meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York.
The past period has witnessed frequent Iranian statements regarding rapprochement with Cairo. In remarks in May, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian expressed hope that relations with Egypt would witness “mutual development and openness.”
On Wednesday, Gebaly met with Ghalibaf on the sidelines of the 9th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in Johannesburg. Iran’s Mehr News Agency reported that the meeting came in light of “increasing diplomatic movements in recent months to improve relations between the two countries.”
The agency quoted the Iranian official as saying that Egypt has always been “an influential country in history and Islam, and we must try to strengthen the relationship between Islamic countries in West Asia and the North Africa region.”
For his part, Gebaly said: “I believe that by participating in the BRICS group, we are on the right path towards the two countries’ development. We must try to increase bilateral relations and cooperation on various levels.”
In comments to Asharq Al-Awsat, former Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister and member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, Rakha Ahmed Hassan, said that the recent Egyptian-Iranian meetings signaled the near return of diplomatic relations.
In July, Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid noted that as the result of the development in Iranian-Gulf relations during the recent period, “some expect that it is normal for Egyptian-Iranian ties to witness a similar progress.”
He added: “Interaction and communication are always present and have not been interrupted at any stage.”
On the sidelines of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) meeting in the Egyptian city of Sharm El-Sheikh this month, Egyptian Minister of Finance, Mohamed Maait and Iranian Minister of Economy Sayyed Ehsan Khandozi, discussed bilateral and trade relations.
In remarks on the occasion, Khandozi stressed that Iran is “ready to develop cooperation in the field of Asian banking and infrastructure.”
He also proposed the formation of a joint committee between the Iranian Deputy Minister of Economy and the Egyptian Deputy Minister of Finance to maintain communication and follow up on the planned projects.
For his part, the Egyptian Minister of Finance pointed to his country’s readiness to implement the proposals presented by his Iranian counterpart, saying: “Egypt believes that it is important to expand and develop relations with Iran.”
Also this month, discussions took place between the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, and his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, in New York.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said that the meeting opened a “new horizon” in the course of relations between the two countries.
The Arab World News Agency also quoted the Egyptian Foreign Minister as saying that there were “positive signs” regarding relations between Egypt and Iran.
