“Egypt has opened a new page with all countries of the world, including Iran”

Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi has expressed Cairo's readiness to open a new page of diplomatic ties with Tehran after a three-decade break, Egyptian media reported Tuesday.

“Egypt has opened a new page with all countries of the world, including Iran,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi was quoted as saying by the local media.
 
“The Egyptian and Iranian people deserve to have mutual relations reflecting their history and civilization, provided they are based on mutual respect of state sovereignty and non-interference of any kind in internal affairs,” al-Arabi said after meeting with Director of Iran's Interests Section in Cairo Mojtaba Amani on Monday who handed him a letter from Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi.

In his letter, Salehi urged Cairo to explore ways to develop relations between the two countries, the reports said. He has also invited his counterpart to visit Tehran, while airing a wish to visit Cairo himself.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has also expressed Tehran's interest in re-establishing relations with Cairo. “Iran has been seeking the expansion of ties with all governments and nations except the Zionist regime (Israel). I have also announced earlier that we are looking to expand ties, particularly with Egypt, and hope for moving developments on this issue,” President Ahmadinejad said at a Monday press conference.

Iran 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.