Ahmadinejad in Landmark Visit to Cairo: Iran, Egypt Convergence Protects Region

Local Editor

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stressed Tuesday that if Iran and Egypt stand by each other, they will protect the region against international threats.

During a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Mohammed Mursi in Cairo, Ahmadinejad said Tehran-Cairo cooperation will lead to formation of a new power in the region.
"If Iran and Egypt get united, international enemies of the mankind would be unable to do our nations the least harm," he said, and noted that "Iran and Egypt are two big countries with a long history and rich civilization."
In parallel, he stated that Cairo and Tehran enjoy an ancient culture and play a very important political role in their regions.
The Iranian President further iterated that "the Iranian and Egyptian nations have always been positive and today, all capacities should be used to upgrade the level of ties."

Noting that Iran and Egypt follow a common goal and play a key role in global equations, Ahmadinejad said the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), in which Egypt plays a key role, has a big capacity which should be utilized for expansion of cooperation between Iran and Egypt and all other independent states.
Meanwhile, the Iranian President referred to the Syrian developments in Syria and said solving the crisis is a key issue for both Iran and Egypt. "The continuation of clashes and massacre would not solve the problem; rather they should address the root cause of the Syria problem. To this end, we should have cooperation to tackle the problems," he said.

As he expressed that Iran is unhappy with current conditions in Syria, the president highlighted that "Syria problems should be settled at once."
"If Iran and Egypt coordinate their action in connection with the Syria issue, major portion of the country's problems would be solved," Ahmadinejad said.
He further noted that his country believes that Syria should attain development and remain strong and people of the country should be able to decide their own fate.
On the Palestinian issue, the head of the Iranian Republic emphasized : "We should defend our nations and regional nations in the face of international enemies."

Mursi, for his part, underscored the need for broader cooperation between Iran and Egypt, saying Tehran-Cairo relations are significant and influential both in the region and in the world.
He called for cooperation between Iran and Egypt to find a solution to the spiraling crisis in Syria.
"I believe that the Syrian problem could not be resolved without Iran and Iran's efforts in this regard are prioritized," Mursi added, and pointed out that "we have no doubt that Iran is sincerely endeavoring to resolve the problems in Syria and other nations. Hence, we stress cooperation with Iran in this field."
"Iran and Egypt can expand their cooperation in different sectors and the world will definitely witness a new form of Iran-Egypt cooperation. Iran and Egypt have always sought peace, progress and security because we believe that our nations are entitled to progress," the Egyptian leader said.

After meeting Mursi, Ahmadinejad went to see Ahmed al-Tayyeb, head of the prestigious Muslim al-Azhar institute. Tayyeb called for Muslim "unity" in a statement on Tuesday, before the meeting.


Source: News Agencies, Edited by moqawama.org