05.03.2013, 13:51
Zitat:Closer Iran-Egypt ties about tourism, not religion: Tourism ministry<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/3/12/66081/Business/Economy/Closer-IranEgypt-ties-about-tourism,-not-religion-.aspx">http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent ... gion-.aspx</a><!-- m -->
Despite Salafist protests against normalisation with Shia Iran, Egyptian tourism ministry hopes to bring new wave of Iranian tourists to Egypt
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Egypt's tourism minister, Hisham Zaazou, has spoken about the ongoing rapprochement between Egypt and Iran, describing the deepening of relations between the two states as aimed at promoting tourism, and not political" or "religious."
A recent visit by Iranian President Ahmadinejad to Cairo in February was considered by many observers to be a groundbreaking step in relations between Egypt, a majority Sunni nation, and the Shia state of Iran.
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"We were keen to protect Egypt's national security and sovereignty during the negotiations, and all security risks were taken into consideration before signing the agreement," said Zaazou.
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The Fatimid area of Cairo holds religious sites and the graveyards of important Shia figures that could be a potential point of interest for Iranian tourists.
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"Iran has normal relations and diplomatic missions with a lot of countries in the world except for the United States and Israel," said Zaazou, dismissing reports that rapprochement with Iran presents a security risk to Egypt.
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Almost 10 million Iranian tourists visit Gulf countries and Europe each year, and Egypt should start benefiting from this significant flow of tourists, the minister of tourism said.
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The "Coalition of Muslims for the Defence of the Prophet's Companions and Family" has called for a million-man march on 15 March to protest what they called "normalisation with the Iranian entity."
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