Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Monday that Iran welcomes Egypt's readiness to resume ties with Tehran. During a meeting in Tehran with Sultan of Oman Haitham Ben Tariq, Khamenei said that he welcomed the Egyptian position, "and Tehran has no problem in this regard," according to Iran's Tasnim news agency. This month, Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian said that there are direct and official channels of communication between Iran and Egypt. He expressed his hope for a serious revitalization of relations between the two countries. "There is activity by the Interest Care Offices in Tehran and Cairo, and there is an official channel of direct communication between the two countries," he added. Commenting on Khameini's statement, Ambassador Mohammad Hegazi, a former assistant foreign minister, said Egypt has always called on regional parties, led by Iran and Turkey, not to interfere in Arab affairs and threaten the interests of their neighbors in the region. He said Egypt's policy is based on good neighborliness, the activation of the principles of international law and non- interfering in the internal affairs of its neighbors and the respect of the UN Charter in managing relations with regional countries. He noted that Egypt has in recent months been keen to send positive messages to regional parties, including a meeting between President Al-Sisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Qatar during the last World Cup in Qatar, and a message of congratulations sent by Al Sisi to Erdogan on his victory in the presidential elections. Hegazi said that there are outstanding issues preventing the launch of Egyptian relations with both Iran and Turkey, and that the parties seeking to establish mutual relations should take the initiative to settle these issues and not to interfere in the internal affairs of their Arab neighbors. He stressed that Iran should follow a path based on mutual respect, non-interference in the Gulf affairs and stop supporting armed militias that harm the safety of Arab states in the Gulf, Lebanon and Yemen. "Egypt considers the return of Iranian-Saudi relations and hopes that this path will be deepened to be the first of Iran-Arab relations based on mutual respect, non-interference in internal affairs and respect for each country's privacy and sovereign decisions." he added. Hegazi said that if these considerations are realized, Egyptian-Iranian relations will be qualified to take off in the next stage, which will have a positive impact on the region as a whole. Regarding Omani mediation in this regard, Ambassador Mohammad Hegazi noted that Egypt is firm in its position of coming together with regional powers that want to work together for the security of the region and confront security challenges and pressures for the safety of all.
