Diplomatic hiatus since 1980… First meeting at the Arab Summit in November
First call on the 23rd… Discussion of Gaza Strip ceasefire issue and pending issues between the two countries
The Egyptian President’s Office announced that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi received a call from Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the 23rd (local time), and the two leaders exchanged opinions on the future unity of the two countries and the situation in the Gaza Strip.
According to Xinhua, citing Egyptian media, the two leaders agreed to continue discussions on a number of the most pressing issues between the two countries, the Egyptian President’s Office said.
In particular, the President’s Office reported that the two leaders discussed intensively the situation in the Gaza Strip and current issues.
Iranian President Raisi also said at the meeting that Iran is ready to provide all its capabilities to stop the killing of Palestinians and deliver aid to them, Iranian state TV reported.
Iranian TV broadcasts emphasized that this was the first time that the presidents of Iran and Egypt had held such a meeting over the phone.
Iran and Egypt severed diplomatic relations in 1980. This is because Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979 and subsequently accepted the king of Iran, who was ousted in the Islamic Revolution that occurred in Iran that year.
However, following the Saudi-Iranian reconciliation agreement mediated by China this year, Egypt and Iran also proceeded to restore diplomatic relations through several rounds of talks mediated by Oman.
Both countries said that although there were some problems, they were ready to overcome their differences and restore diplomatic relations.
President Raisi and President El-Sisi met at the Arab-Islam Joint Special Summit for a Ceasefire in the Gaza Battle held in Riyadh in November, and this was the first meeting between the two leaders separately.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.