Iran’s president to make first visit to Egypt in 11 years for D-8 summit

The spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry says President Masoud Pezeshkian is scheduled to visit Egypt to take part in the upcoming summit of the Developing Eight Organization for Economic Cooperation, known as the D-8, the first visit by an Iranian president in 11 years. 

Esmaeil Baghaei made the remarks at his weekly press conference on Tuesday, stating that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will also head a delegation to the Egyptian capital Cairo to attend the 21st Council of Foreign Ministers meeting of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation which is due to convene on December 18.

Baghaei went on to say that the ministerial conference will be held with the participation of foreign ministers from eight Islamic developing countries—including Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan, Indonesia, Nigeria, Malaysia, and Bangladesh a day before the D-8 summit in order to finalize its documents.

He also noted that the D-8 summit will be held on Thursday, with the participation of the presidents from the eight participating Muslim countries.

Iran energy minister hopes D-8 could return to its core missions

Iran’s energy minister Mehrabian says politics has overshadowed the D-8 and its core missions.

According to Baghaei, "Investing in Youth and Supporting Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: Shaping the Future Economy” has been established as the central theme of this meeting.

He further emphasized the need to use every opportunity during multilateral gatherings to address regional issues.

The spokesman also mentioned that a special meeting of the leaders of eight countries is scheduled to take place on the sidelines of the D-8 summit on Thursday afternoon, where Iran will discuss regional and bilateral affairs with the participating countries, particularly the situation in Palestine and Lebanon.  

The D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, also known as Developing-8, is an organization for development cooperation among Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey.

Egypt will host the 11th D-8 Summit on December 19, 2024.

Pezeshkian's visit to Egypt will be the first by an Iranian president since 2013 when former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attended a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Cairo and met with then-Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi.

Egypt severed diplomatic relations with Iran in 1980, as shifts widened between the two following the Islamic Revolution in Iran and Egypt’s recognition of Israel. The move came after Egypt welcomed the deposed US-backed Pahlavi ruler.

However, since Egypt’s longtime strongman Hosni Mubarak was toppled in a popular uprising in 2011, there has been a warming of relations between Iran and Egypt.

In recent years, particularly amid the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza, diplomatic contacts between the two countries have intensified as Egypt has tried to play a mediating role.

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