Iran-Egypt diplomatic rapprochement: challenges and opportunities
A group of parliamentarians from Egypt and Jordan have been invited to Iran by the head of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Foreign Policy and National Security Committee of the Iranian parliament in order to strengthen ties and improve relations.
Tensions between Iran and Egypt began in 1979, following the Islamic Revolution, when the Shah of Iran, Muhammad Reza Pahlavi was received by former Egyptian President Muhammad Anwar Sadat, despite Tehran's request not to do so. On the other hand, the Egyptian-Israeli peace deal widened the rift between Cairo and the Islamic Republic. After the 2011 revolution in Egypt, visits by both delegations stopped altogether with the fall of the Muslim Brotherhood. However, over the past decade, Iran has tried to push for a diplomatic rapprochement to restore relations with Egypt through messages to Cairo from Iranian leader Ali Khamenei.
As Muhammad Abbas Naji, an expert on Iranian affairs at the Al-Ahram Centre for Strategic Studies, tells Al-Arab, "Tehran's move towards Cairo comes after repeated attempts to improve relations between them". "The use of diplomacy is part of its efforts to strengthen relations with Arab countries, and aims to find different ways of communication," he adds. The analyst also emphasises the importance for Cairo of the Iranian executive's decision-making, as they value actions over words.
In the last decade, only officials and deputy ministers have been allowed to visit both countries in order to participate in regional and international fora. Following the increased demand for travel to Egypt by Iranian nationals, the Foreign Ministry is working to open direct flights to Cairo. The Egyptian government, on the other hand, in March approved several measures to facilitate the movement of foreigners and the arrival of Iranian tourists.
Egyptian sources expressed optimism about the prospects for cooperation between Egypt and Iran on regional issues, especially in light of the common challenges they face, such as terrorism, extremism, foreign interference and water scarcity. They also stressed the importance of maintaining a balanced approach that does not compromise Egypt's strategic relations with other countries, such as Saudi Arabia and the United States. An Egyptian Foreign Ministry source stated that "Egypt wishes to maintain good relations with all countries in the region, based on mutual respect and non-interference. Egypt also supports any efforts to de-escalate tensions and promote dialogue among regional actors".
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is expected to meet with his Iranian counterpart Ibrahim Raisi during the UN meetings in New York in September in order to begin negotiations between the two countries.