On March 29, 2023, the Head of the Office for the Protection of the Interests of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Cairo, Ambassador Mohammad Hossein Soltanifard, visited ECFA at his request, where he was received by ECFA Chairman, Ambassador Mohamed Al-Orabi, and ECFA Director, Ambassador Dr. Ezzat Saad.
The guest addressed the issue of the return of diplomatic relations between Tehran and Riyadh under Chinese auspices, describing the resumption of relations between the two countries as a good step which puts an end to the competition and differences between the two countries, while preparations are being made for President Ebrahim Raisi’s visit to Riyadh. Tehran also extended an invitation to King Salman to visit Iran. He explained that his country is determined to develop its relations with all Arab countries, and in this context meetings took place between Iranian and Bahraini parliamentarians, and it was also agreed with Jordan to raise the level of diplomatic relations to the ambassadorial level. The Iranian Foreign Minister also recently held a phone call with his Libyan counterpart, as he invited her to visit Tehran, expressing his hope to open an embassy in Libya, noting that their ambassador in Tunisia is an accredited non-resident in Libya. He added that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation conference, which was held in Nouakchott recently, witnessed close coordination and consultation between the Iranian and Saudi delegations.
In this context, the guest expressed his country’s keenness for its relations with Egypt to witness similar positive developments, noting – in this regard- Iran’s participation in the inauguration ceremony of President El-Sisi. He added that he met with the Minister of Tourism recently, and expressed to him the importance of visits by Iranian tourists not being limited to South Sinai only, but rather to the historical and religious monuments and sites that foreign tourists are generally interested in.
He also indicated that they highly appreciate the Egyptian position on many issues of concern to Iran, such as the position on the question of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. This is while he indicated their discomfort with what he called “the Zionist presence in Azerbaijan” and in the entire region. He explained that despite this, Iran seeks to de-escalate tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia, adding that the situation in Afghanistan poses a security challenge for them, as does Russia, and that they are coordinating in this regard with Moscow. In response to an inquiry about the limits of coordination and political consultation between Iran and Türkiye regarding regional problems, the guest stated that this consultation is only limited to the situations in Syria and Iraq. In addition, he pointed out that there is nothing new about the negotiations to revive the nuclear agreement signed in 2015, explaining that the negotiations in this regard were largely affected by the war in Ukraine.
