Morsi's Visit To Iran Effective In Promoting Bilateral Ties : Deputy FM

Kermanshah, Sept 6, IRNA – Deputy Foreign Minister for Administrative and Legal Affairs Behrouz Kamalvand said on Thursday that presence of Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi in the 16th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit in Tehran was very effective in promoting bilateral relations. Speaking to reporters, he said Morsi's visit to Iran is regarded as the most important visit of an Egyptian official to Iran after the triumph of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The Islamic Republic of Iran and Egypt are capable of meeting each others demands in various fields, he said, adding that even if Egypt decided to broaden relations with Saudi Arabia to benefit from its financial services, it could not ignore Iran's regional power. Egypt is a Zionist regime neighbor and has the experience of a devastating war with the regime, he said, adding that in case of emergency situation the Islamic Republic can assist Egypt. Expectations from Morsi's visit to Tehran should not be high as the new president won only 51 percent of its people's vote and is now experiencing a very weak economic situation, he said. Egypt's economy is about one-fifth of Iran's economic capacity, he said, urging Cairo to change its path and examine new mottos to leave impression on others. Asked about receiving war compensation from Iraq, he said "Tehran enjoys broad and crucial economic, political and cultural relations with Baghdad and under such circumstances setting forth issues such as war compensation, border issues and oil fields may damage amicable relations between the two nations." The issue of war compensation is a legal issue which should be followed up gradually, he said. On Iran's peaceful nuclear program, he said the West is not concerned over proliferation of nuclear bombs but it concerned over Iran's scientific development and progress which is beyond their expectations, Kamalvand concluded./end