Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Reza Salehi Amiri says the administration of President Masoud Pezeshkian is committed to the strategy of rebuilding relations with Egypt, with bilateral discussions already taking place to achieve the goal.
Salehi Amiri made the remarks in an exclusive interview with IRNA, published on Monday, during which he elaborated on the achievements of his trip to Cairo, Egypt, last month. There, he attended the 4th D-8 Ministerial Meeting on Tourism Cooperation on May 6.
The minister said that his trip was aimed at following up on efforts to rebuild Tehran-Cairo relations after Iranian and Egyptian authorities engaged in talks over that matter.
“Egyptians are eager to expand relations with Iran, and the two governments are determined to open the path. Political diplomacy needs to be established between the two countries. Good measures have so far been taken and there are no serious obstacles in the way of developing tourism cooperation,” said Salehi Amiri.
Iran seeks to sign a memorandum of understanding with Egypt on tourism cooperation, he said, adding that the first round of talks has been held, and the two sides are scheduled to continue negotiations to eliminate obstacles and reach a final agreement.
Salehi Amiri expressed hope that, thanks to the contributions of Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, both political and cultural relations are being rebuilt.
He further said that the Iranian side has encouraged the Egyptian private sector to participate in major projects in Iran, and that Iranian authorities are prepared to facilitate air and road travel, and hold historical and religious tours.
