Iran welcomes restoration of ties with Egypt, Morocco

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) - Iran's foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Thursday said the Islamic Republic welcomes the resumption and expansion of ties with Egypt and Morocco.

Speaking at an event in Tehran to mark Eid al-Adha in the presence of foreign diplomats, Iran's top diplomat said the Ebrahim Raisi government prioritizes relations with countries in the region and the Muslim world.

"We welcome the expansion and normalization of relations with other regional and Muslim countries, including Egypt and Morocco," said Amir-Abdollahian, referring to two countries that are yet to restore ties with Iran.

The friction in Iran-Egypt ties can be traced back to 1979 when Egypt became the first Arab country to recognize Israel and signed the controversial Camp David Accords.

After the 1979 revolution, Cairo's decision to welcome deposed Iranian monarch Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and Tehran's move to name a street after former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat's assassin further deteriorated relations between them.

In recent months, following the restoration of diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Tehran and Cairo have stepped up efforts to bury the hatchet and revive ties.

On the other hand, Morocco severed ties with Iran in May 2018 over what it termed Iran's alleged support for Polisario Front, an armed group fighting for self-determination of Western Sahara that is claimed by Morocco. Iran has repeatedly denied the allegation.

Iran's foreign minister said Tehran welcomes the resumption of ties with both Egypt and Morocco while expressing concern over the ongoing civil war in Sudan.

Amir-Abdollahian hastened to add that Iran follows the policy of "neither East nor West," and pays "special attention" to expansion of ties with regional and Muslim countries.

He asserted that relations with West and East must be based on "mutual benefits, cooperation and interaction."

Iran's foreign minister further stated that Iran and Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries must play greater role in the region and the world and "continue to support the oppressed people of Palestine."

He blamed "enemies of the Muslim world" for "designing plots to divide Muslim countries," referring to Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria as examples.

Earlier this month, Iranian government spokesperson Ali Bahadori Jahromi said President Raisi has tasked the foreign ministry to initiate the formal process for the full restoration of ties with Egypt.

Jahromi said Iran is ready to resume full diplomatic ties with the Arab country, signaling Iran's desire to boost ties with regional countries amid the normalization wave.

The announcement came a day after the Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq Al Said met Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during his two-day visit to Iran.