Ahmadinejad visits Egypt amid warming relationship between the two nations

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks to the media as he arrives at a press conference at the end of a two-day summit, in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013. The summit witnessed the first visit of an Iranian president to Egypt in more than three years, as Egypt’s Islamist government aimed for warmer relations with Iran.In a goodwill gesture, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said in remarks carried by Egypt’s official news agency that Iran will cancel visa requirements for Egyptian tourists and merchants. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to Cairo reflected Egypt’s attempts to strike an independent foreign policy and reassert Egypt’s historic regional leadership role following the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, a close U.S. ally who shared Washington’s deep suspicions of Tehran. <AP Photo/Khalil Hamra>