Egyptian President in Tehran for first time since 1979 August 30, 2012 - 10:08 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Egyptian President Mohammad Mursi arrived in Tehran on Thursday, Aug 30 the first Egyptian leader to visit Iran since its Islamic revolution in 1979, Reuters reported. Iranian state television broadcast live pictures of Mursi's red-carpet welcome at Tehran's Mehrabad airport. He was to attend a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement that concludes on Friday. Iran has presented its tenure of the movement as the failure of the United States to isolate it from the rest of the world, a message its most powerful figure, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, will press home in an address to around 35 visiting heads of state on Thursday morning. Diplomatic relations between Cairo and Tehran broke down immediately after Iran's revolution over Egypt's support for the overthrown Shah and its peace agreement with Israel. As president, Mursi has so far refused to address the issue of whether ties would be upgraded with Iran, but has indicated he would pursue a more balanced foreign policy. Analysts say Mursi's brief visit is designed to avoid any snub to Iran but improving relations with Tehran in the near future would send the wrong message to the United States and Israel. Last week, Mursi spoke of forming a contact group to resolve the crisis in Syria, comprising Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabi and Turkey, an initiative the Iranian leadership is keen to pursue.   Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads.   Partner news |  Latest news Mirzoyan says meeting with Bayramov was “constructive”  At the moment, Ararat Mirzoyan said, there is no basis for additional comments.OSCE vows support for Armenia “in all three directions of security” Achieving stable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan remains a priority of the OSCE, said Ian Borg.151 detained as civil disobedience campaigns continue in Yerevan Citizens have been blocking streets in the Armenian capital, demanding Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation.France welcomes Armenia-Azerbaijan meeting in Almaty France has welcomed the new round of negotiations between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan. |
