Islam Times - Morsi visit to Iran a new beginning for both countries: Iran FM

Islam Times - Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi says Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi’s visit to Iran for the 16th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit can be a new beginning for relations between the two countries.

“Morsi’s visit to Iran conveyed an important message in itself,” Salehi said in an interview with Iran’s Arabic-language Al-Alam news network, adding that the visit can be a new beginning after relations between Tehran and Cairo were severed more than thirty years ago.

“I think Mohamed Morsi’s visit to Iran was his fourth international visit as the president of Egypt out of his country. This shows the importance of Iran for Egyptian politicians, especially Mr. Morsi himself,” he added.

Iran's foreign minister also referred to the successful holding of the NAM summit in Tehran calling it “a big political challenge.”

“Western countries made great efforts to prevent the summit from being held or prevent the suitable participation of the [NAM] members once it was held, but they failed in this regard,” Salehi noted.

The senior Iranian diplomat emphasized that the world has changed and that realities cannot be covered up with money, force or deception anymore.

Salehi added the rightfulness of the Islamic Republic of Iran is obvious to everyone and that the free-thinkers of the world cannot close their eyes on the West’s distortion of realities and pressures, by ignoring their conscience.