Egypt and Iran agreed on Monday to continue discussions to develop their relations.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was in Cairo for talks with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty.
During a press conference with Araghchi, Abdelatty announced the launch of political consultations between Egypt and Iran to discuss bilateral ties.
An Egyptian presidency statement said Sisi and Araghchi stressed the importance of continuing efforts to “explore prospects of developing ties between their countries.”
Abdelatty confirmed that there was a mutual desire to develop relations.
For his part, Araghchi said this was his fourth time meeting Sisi and that he had met the foreign minister of Egypt over ten times, reflecting Iran’s keenness on developing ties.
“There is a desire to expand relations, political consultations and cooperation on the political and economic levels and all others,” he added.
“We have a desire to overcome obstacles that have been impeding these ties. The opportunity is available now more than ever,” he stated.
“Trust between Cairo and Tehran has never been this high,” he noted.
Egypt and Iran had severed diplomatic relations in 1979 before restoring them to the level of charge d’affaires eleven years later. Egyptian and Iranian officials have met several times over the past two years to tackle the possibility of developing relations.
The Iranian presidency in May 2023 ordered that the necessary measures be taken to boost ties with Egypt. Sisi and late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi met in Riyadh in November 2023.
Huda Raouf, head of the Iranian Studies Unit at the Egyptian Center for Strategic Studies, told Asharq Al-Awsat that Araghchi’s visit to Cairo sought to explore just how much rapprochement can be achieved with Egypt.
Iran has been trying to improve relations in recent years, while Egypt has been reluctant, she noted.
The FM’s visit is a notable development, which may lead to greater rapprochement in the future, especially when it comes to tourism, trade and cooperation in regional files, starting with the war on Gaza and Red Sea security, she remarked.
Sisi and Araghchi also discussed the “rapid developments in the region.”
Sisi expressed Cairo’s rejection of the “expansion of the conflict,” urging a de-escalation “to avert a regional war that will have dangerous repercussions on the security of all regional countries and their people.”
He therefore underscored the “importance of the ongoing negotiations between Iran and the United States” over Tehran’s nuclear program, said an Egyptian presidency spokesman.
Sisi stressed the need for an “immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the delivery of humanitarian aid.”
Talks between Araghchi and Abdelatty also tackled Gaza, as well as the developments in Syria and Lebanon and Red Sea security.
Abdelatty stressed the need to “protect freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the importance of restoring calm in the region.”
