After decades of estrangement, Egypt and Iran are poised to
fully restore diplomatic ties and swap ambassadors in the near future,
according to a high-ranking Egyptian official.
Rakha Ahmad Hassan, a member of the Egyptian Council for
Foreign Affairs, stated that an ambassadorial swap is probably going to occur
soon.
He made the remarks in an interview with Russia’s Sputnik
news agency on Friday.
He noted that ties between Cairo and Tehran have reached a
new height with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi congratulating his Egyptian
counterpart Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on his recent victory in Egypt's presidential
elections.
This month, Hassan stated that the two heads of state spoke
over the phone on a number of topics, including the reestablishment of
diplomatic relations and the ongoing events in the Gaza Strip and the Red Sea.
On December 23, Raisi and El-Sisi agreed to resolve the
remaining issues between the two countries.
As subsequently reported by the Iranian president’s website,
Raisi congratulated el-Sisi for winning Egypt’s latest presidential elections
during the phone call.
He also called on Cairo to use all its capacities to stop
the Zionist regime's attacks on Gaza, start providing aid, and fulfill the rights
of the people of Palestine.
The Egyptian leader, for his part, expressed his
satisfaction with the opportunity to speak to Raisi adding, "Iran and
Egypt can play an effective role in establishing stability and security in the
region due to their high historical and civilizational position and having
diverse capacities."
In recent months, Iran and Egypt have been working to
cultivate a closer relationship and heal longstanding rifts.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and his
Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry convened on September 20 during the 78th
session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani hailed the
meeting as a pivotal moment in Tehran-Cairo relations, marking a positive step
within Iran’s regional diplomacy initiatives.
In addition to diplomatic engagements, Iran’s Finance
Minister Ehsan Khandouzi met with his Egyptian counterpart during a visit to
Cairo in September. Both officials reached an agreement to establish a
committee for overseeing joint projects.
“The current level of relations between the two countries
indicates that the exchange of ambassadors is imminent. Latest remarks by
Oman’s ruler, Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, also suggest that efforts are being
made in the region in this regard as he touched on the matter and the
consequences that the rapprochement could bring about,” the senior Egyptian
official noted.
He
underlined that the cycle of resolving regional issues will be completed by the
restoration of diplomatic ties between Egypt and Iran, particularly in light of
the recent measures to settle the Yemeni crisis and the rapprochement between
Riyadh and Tehran.
Hassan emphasized that Iran’s more active involvement in the
Arab world will boost commercial interaction with Arab nations while also
advancing stability and prosperity in the region.
Back in August, Chairman of the Egyptian Council for Foreign
Affairs noted that Cairo does not require mediation to fully reestablish
diplomatic ties with Iran.
Speaking with the Arab World Press (AWP), Mohamed el-Orabi
said that Cairo and Tehran are still in communication, but it is not necessary
for them to be broadcast.
“It is very simple, it should not become complicated; Tehran-Cairo
relations will be fully restored eventually, but Egypt has its reservations,”
el-Orabi noted.
The announcement comes amid rumors that the two regional
powerhouses are holding behind-the-scenes talks and would soon reopen their
respective embassies.
El-Orabi further noted that Egypt and Iran maintain ongoing
diplomatic relations that have not been broken.
But when it comes to the re-establishment of relationships,
he said, determining factors that are unique in essence should be taken into account.
“Iran
is an active country in the region, and rapprochement with it is linked to
other issues like the status quo in Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon,” the senior
Egyptian official stressed.
He emphasized that while it is challenging to set a specific
timetable for the restoration of Egypt-Iran ties, progress might be made if any
of the aforementioned concerns were to be resolved.
Egypt
severed its diplomatic ties with Iran in 1980 following its welcoming of the
deposed Pahlavi ruler and its recognition of the apartheid Israeli regime.
Presently, discussions are underway between the two regional
heavyweights regarding the potential reopening of their respective embassies in
Iraq.
Nevertheless,
there are reports indicating that the Israeli regime is exerting pressure on
Egypt to refrain from re-establishing ties with Iran.
According to Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth daily newspaper,
Israeli delegates have purportedly undertaken covert visits to Cairo in an
attempt to dissuade the government of President el-Sisi from reciprocating
steps to restore diplomatic relations with Iran.