An Egyptian delegation has arrived in Tehran on a five-day visit

An Egyptian delegation, comprised of social, cultural and religious figures, has arrived in the Iranian capital of Tehran on a five-day visit.

The 45-strong delegation includes social, cultural and revolutionary figures as well as clerics from Egypt's al-Azhar University, IRIB website reported Tuesday.

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said Sunday that Tehran and Cairo were taking steps to resume diplomatic relations but stressed that the improvement of ties should be pursued “with patience.”

The Islamic Republic and Egypt have not had diplomatic relations since 1980. Iran severed ties with Egypt after Cairo signed the 1978 Camp David Accords with the Israeli regime and offered asylum to Iran's deposed dictator, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

As part of efforts to resume diplomatic ties, Salehi and his Egyptian counterpart Nabil al-Arabi met last week on the sidelines of the 16th conference of foreign ministers of the Non-Aligned Movement on the island of Bali in Indonesia.

Salehi said better Iran-Egypt ties would benefit the entire region and called on the two countries to clear any possible misunderstandings.
Al-Arabi, for his part, expressed his country's readiness to enhance ties with the Islamic Republic.