Rouhani invited to inauguration of Egyptian president

 

File photo: Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil El-Sisi, President-elect of Egypt

According to Fars News Agency (03JUN14):

Egypt's President-Elect Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has invited Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to attend his swearing-in ceremony in the coming days.

Al-Sisi's invitation letter was submitted by Head of Egypt's Interests Section in Tehran Khalid al-Said Ibrahim Amari to President Rouhani's Chief of Staff Mohammad Nahavandian in a meeting in the Iranian capital on Tuesday.

During the meeting, Nahavandian pointed to the Iranian and Egyptian nations' historical and cultural ties, and said, "Both nations enjoy prominent positions in the Muslim world"

Iran's regional foreign relations appear to be on a roll, what with the recent landmark visit by the Emir of Kuwait, the invitation of Foreign Minister Zarif to Saudi Arabia (yesterday declined due to a scheduling conflict with nuclear talks in Vienna), and now an invite for the Iranian president to attend the inauguration of Egypt's president-elect.

Will be interesting to see if Rouhani accepts the invitation and attends the ceremony.

Egypt Suspends Commercial Flights from Iran

Egypt suspended commercial flights from Iran after hardliner Sunni Islamists objected to the arrival of more than 50 Iranian tourists last week on board an Air Memphis flight.

The first commercial flight to Iran from Egypt took off from Cairo on 30 March and the chartered airplane brought back the group of Iranian tourists on 1 May to Aswan. They also visited the ancient city of Luxur, showcasing the warming of relations between Iran and the new Egyptian government of President Mohamed Morsi. 

Egyptian protesters attacked the residence of the Iranian charge d’afaires in Cairo on Friday demanding an end to the restart of commercial flights with Iran.

“Talks were held and there was an agreement to postpone the arrival of (Iranian) visitors to mid-June,” said Rasha Azaizi, Egypt’s tourism ministry spokeswoman on Monday. “The whole operation will be suspended for the time being ... to reassess the issue and review the program,” she added. The minister will be meeting with political parties opposed to the flights to “clear any misconceptions.”  (Reuters, 8 April)

File photo: An Air Memphis Airbus A320-200 (Wikipedia)

Protesters Attack Residence of Iranian Charge d'Affaires in Cairo

A crowd of protesters attempted to scale the walls and break into the residence of Iran’s charge d'affaires to Egypt, Mojtaba Amani, in a suburb of Cairo on Friday, Iranian media reported today. The police blocked the protesters from storming the building.

Photo credit: A crowd of protesters outside the house of Iran’s charge d'affaires to Egypt in a Cairo suburb, April 5, 2013. (Press TV)

Iranian Tourists in Egypt Showcase Warming Ties

More than 50 Iranian tourists arrived in the ancient city of Luxor on Monday as part of a rare visit that showcases the warming ties between the two countries since President Mohammed Morsi came to power last year. A new bilateral deal was signed recently to promote tourism between the two countries. Iran on its part has unilaterally waived visa requirements for Egyptian tourists. (AP, 2 April)



However, some sparks flew over the visit. The Egyptian government attempted to regulate the places Iranians can visit. Tourism Minister Hesham Zaazou wants Iranian tourists to only be allowed to visit ancient cities and Red Sea resorts like Sharm el-Sheikh, while keeping them away from religious sites, especially mosques affiliated with Prophet Mohamed’s family. Cairo has also been declared off limit to the Iranian tourists. The Iranian officials, however, want the tourists be allowed into sites throughout the country without restrictions.

“Iranian tourists have the right to visit whatever places they want in Egypt. We shouldn’t intervene in programs [created] by Egyptian and Iranian tourist companies,” said Mojtaba Amani, Iranian Charge d’affaires in Cairo. An Iranian deputy foreign minister visiting the country also said in a news conference in Cairo on Monday that tourists from Iran don't have a religious agenda and that they are coming to Egypt to support its economy. (Egypt Independent, 2 April)

The group visiting Luxor today came in a tourist boat down the Nile from the southern city of Aswan, where they had arrived two days earlier on a charter plane originating from Tehran, the first commercial flight between the two countries since the 1979 revolution. Today, they are visiting ancient sites in the city, including the famed open-air Karnak Temple and the Valley of the Kings where Tutankhamen's tomb lies.

File photo: Foreign tourists visit the Hatshepsut Temple, in the ancient city of Luxor, southern Egypt. (AP)

First Commercial Flight in 34 Years Leaves Cairo for Tehran

The first commercial flight to Iran from Egypt in 34 years ago took off from the Cairo airport en route to Tehran today. The Air Memphis Flight 8000, chartered by Egyptian businessman Ramy Lakah, carried eight passengers, including two Iranian diplomats. The flight launched the new air link between Egypt and Iran.

Air Memphis will operate charter flights to Iran from regional airports in Aswan, Luxor and Abu Simbel in southern Egypt. No further information on the frequency of the flights and the destination cities in Iran was released. (Egypt Independent, 30 March)

Egypt and Iran cut diplomatic relations in 1979. Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi visited Iran last August to attend a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement. In February, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also visited Cairo.

UPDATE: Air Memphis chartered flight has returned from Tehran and landed Saturday evening at Aswan airport with 50 Iranian tourists on board. 

File Photo: An Air Memphis Airbus A320-200 (Wikipedia)