Egypt’s Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said on Tuesday the restoration of diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran would take "much more than simple words" to achieve.
He was reacting to an advisor to Iran's President Mohammed Khatami who said late last week that Cairo and Tehran should restore diplomatic ties, in order to strengthen unity among Muslim countries.
"Iran has already undertaken contacts with Egypt on the issue of relations, " Maher told journalists. "This question in reality needs much more than simple words."
However, the minister emphasized that Cairo was "keen to have good relations with all countries, including Iran, as an important state."
Khatami advisor Ali Rabii has said it was "necessary for relations between Iran and Egypt to be normalized like two brother countries", AFP reported.
Iran and Egypt cut diplomatic ties after Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979. In the last couple of years, the two have restored dialogue and official visits have increased. (Albawaba.com)
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