Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry will visit Iran for the first time to attend the funeral of recently deceased President Ebrahim Rais and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on 22 May. “[Shoukry] is expected to return to Egypt following his participation in the funeral ceremonies, affirming the solidarity of the Arab Republic of Egypt with the Islamic Republic of Iran during this difficult time,” a ministerial press release published on Facebook stated. On Sunday, 19 May, a helicopter carrying Raisi, Amir-Abdollahian, and several other officials crashed in a mountainous region near the Azerbaijan border on Sunday on their way back from a bilateral visit. The crash prompted an emergency search by the Iranian government, ending when the bodies of all nine individuals on board were found dead on 20 May. Diplomatic relations between Egypt and Iran witnessed improvements over the past year, after decades of discord between the two states. Egypt’s top diplomat had met with Amir-Abdollahian a few weeks prior to the crash, with both sides discussing the war on Gaza. Months earlier, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi received a call from Raisi to congratulate him on his…
Egypt’s FM Makes First-Time Visit to Iran for the Funeral of Deceased President
May 22, 2024
