Iran’s Powerful Presence In OIC Summit Will Expand Ties With Egypt : MP

Tehran, Jan 28, IRNA – an Iranian lawmaker said on Sunday that presence of Iran’s President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the 12th OIC Summit in Egypt will lead to expansion of Tehran-Cairo ties. Mansour Haghighatpour said that Iran has always participated in global conferences with appropriate plans and proposals and will have a powerful presence in the upcoming OIC Summit in Cairo. President Ahmadinejad will visit Egypt on February 6 at the invitation of his Egyptian counterpart Mohamed Morsi to take part in the OIC Summit. During his stay in Cairo, Ahmadinejad is expected to visit a number of Islamic heads of state, including Mohamed Morsi which can be a turning point in Tehran-Cairo relations. He may also visit Palestine authority chief Mahmoud Abbas as well as a number of Egyptian popular and religious figures. Mansour Haghighatpour who is the deputy head of Iranian Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee said that Iran and Egypt are among the most powerful and influential Islamic countries in the region and any kind of effort made by officials of the two countries to clear up misunderstandings will benefit the two countries. He made it clear that popular revolution in Egypt paved the way for putting aside the differences between the two countries. In the 12th OIC Summit in Cairo important issues of the world of Islam including Palestinian issue, Zionist regime’s settlements, current tensions in the Muslim World, countering Islamophobia and the condition of Muslim minorities in non-member countries will be discussed. The Summit is also expected to discuss economic, social and cultural issues in line with efforts to counter poverty and accelerate the process of improving life standards of Muslims./end