Cairo on Tuesday highlighted Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's statements on the country's readiness to restore diplomatic ties with Egypt and termed it as "positive".

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit, while in Islamabad on a visit to Pakistan, made the remarks in a comment on Ahmadinejad's earlier pronouncements, the official MENA news agency reported.

"These statements are positive at the level of bilateral relations between the two countries," Abul-Gheit told MENA in Islamabad, while hailing Ahmadinejad's statements.

Ahmadinejad has earlier said that Iran is keen on establishing diplomatic relations with Egypt if the Egyptian government wants the same, according to MENA.

MENA quoted a report by France 24 international news channel as saying that Ahmadinejad made the statements earlier on Tuesday after wrapping up his Gulf tour, which took him to Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The peoples of Egypt and Iran are friends, Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying, citing an earlier announcement on opening the Iranian embassy in Cairo as reflecting Iran's goodwill.

Iran and Egypt currently only have interests sections in their respective countries after Iran cut ties in 1980 in protest against Egypt's recognition of Israel.

Tehran was also furious that Cairo gave asylum to shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi after he was deposed by Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution. The shah is interred in a mausoleum in the Al-Rifa'i mosque in Cairo.

Source: Xinhua