Tehran ready to appoint ambassador to Cairo

Iran will send its ambassador to Cairo after the Egyptian side expresses readiness for this step, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi was quoted as saying by MEHR news agency.

"Egypt is interested in strengthening relations with Iran. We are also interested in this. Egypt is one of the most important countries of the Islamic region," Salehi said.

"Development of the Iran- Egypt relations contributes to stability, security and peace in the region," Salehi emphasized, expressing confidence that the relations between the two countries will be restored in the near future.

In 1979, diplomatic relations were cut off between Egypt and Iran because of the signing of the Camp David peace agreement between Egypt and Israel and also because then-Egyptian President Anwar Sadat granted refuge to the deposed Shah of Iran, Mohammad-Reza Pahlavi.Tehran, in turn, was strongly against Egypt's peace agreement with Israel.

In early April, Egypt's Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi stated that Cairo is ready to "open a new page" in the history of relations with Iran.

A month later Al-Arabi and Salehi met to discusse the prospects for restoring the bilateral relations. Less than a week after, an Egyptian delegation comprising 50 persons arrived in Tehran, where the restoration of diplomatic relations was discussed.