FM: Tehran Willing to Start Ambassadorial Ties with Egypt

"We have announced many times that we are prepared to promote ties with Egypt to an ambassadorial level," Salehi said in an interview with Egypt's channel one TV on Wednesday.

"And to promote the level of our relations with Egypt, the Islamic Republic of Iran waits for Cairo's response," he added.

Salehi also stressed that the Iranian and Egyptian governments should pave the way for further contacts between the two Muslim nations.

After the collapse of Hosni Mubarak's regime, the Iranian and Egyptian officials voiced their interest in the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries and Salehi officially invited the then Egyptian counterpart Nabil Al-Arabi to pay a visit to Tehran.

Later, the Iranian foreign minister and his former Egyptian counterpart also held a meeting in Bali, Indonesia.

Also, during the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Tehran late August, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Egyptian counterpart conferred on ways to promote the bilateral relations between Tehran and Cairo, and stressed the need for continued consultations in this regard.

In a latest development, Egyptian President Mohammad Mursi in a meeting with Salehi in Cairo on Tuesday said that Iran plays an important role in resolving the regional crises, and underlined that Tehran and Cairo should be united in dealing with global challenges.

"When the followers of unrighteousness are united in their unrighteous path, why should not we go united in our right position when dealing with global challenges," Mursi said.

Stressing that Egypt assumes Iran's stability as its own stability, he said, "There is no problem between Iran and Egypt."

The Egyptian president also underscored the important role of Iran's assistance to the settlement of problems in the region, and announced Cairo's readiness for any kind of regional cooperation with Tehran.
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