CAIRO (IRNA) — The Egyptian deputy foreign minister for Asian affairs expressed hope on Saturday that Iran and Egypt would normalize relations.

Ali Houssam el-Din el-Hefiny in his speech in Cairo said that it is in Egypt's interest to consolidate its political ties with Iran.

El-Hefiny added that the Cairo government has extended an invitation to Iran's Minister of Culture and the Islamic Guidance Muhammad-Hossein Saffar-Harandi to attend the annual conference of Supreme Council of the Islamic Affairs with the aim of developing relations with Iran.

He said that the meeting was due to be held in Egyptian capital in line with expansion of the cultural cooperation between the two countries.

According to the Egyptian official, the annual conference of the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs has been sponsored by the Egypt's Organization for Endowment and Religious Institutions in Cairo.