Egypt questioned Iranian claims regarding the Egyptian stance towards Iran and Egypt’s regional role, according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ahmed Abou Zaid on Monday.
Abou Zaid said that the stability of the Middle East is one of the main goals of Egypt’s foreign policy, and preserving the Arab national security and safety and stability of the Arab countries, especially the Gulf states, is one of the basics of stability in the region.
The Egyptian statements came as a response for the statements of the spokesperson of the Iran Foreign Ministry Bahram Ghasemi who said that Egypt is not playing its role in securing the stability of the region, calling on Cairo to change its policies.
In his statements, Ghasemi called on Egypt to get rid of its previous views that resulted in cutting relations with Iran. Ghasemi advised the Egyptian officials to adopt new visions towards the regional issues to provide a ground for bilateral dialogue.
Abou Zaid stressed that Egypt’s foreign policy is based on five principles support stability in the Middle East and the Arab region, and peaceful coexistence for people of the region on the base of exchanged respect and mutual interests.
These five principles include not intervening in countries’ internal affairs, good neighboring, preserving the national state, rejecting sectarianism, and confronting all shapes of terrorism and extremism.
Pointing to statements of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, Kassimy demanded the Egyptian side to “understand the regional issues, the value of Iran, and the facts of the Iranian society, through adopting a new vision,” according to the Iranian state agency.
Last week, Al-Sisi said during an interview with France 24 TV that there have been no relations between Cairo and Tehran for 40 years.
Egypt is a member of the Coalition for Supporting Legitimacy in Yemen. On Sunday, the coalition accused Iran of hindering negotiations for peace process in Yemen and fueling the dispute. It also criticised the “negative role” of Iran in disturbing the region and supporting the coup of the Houthi group.
Egypt and Iran exchange offices for diplomatic interests after the Iranian government cut ties with Egypt in 1980 amid different political views regarding the Islamic revolution in Iran.
