Security Intensified In Egypt’s Aswan During First Visit Of Iranian Tourists In Decades

The Egyptian authorities intensified security Sunday in Upper Egypt’s governorate of Aswan to secure the first visit of an Iranian tourist group in over three decades.

Senior security officials told Xinhua that the authorities in Luxor also got ready with special armed police units to secure the group of 58 Iranian tourists onboard a cruise ship coming from Aswan to Luxor.

“The armed police units will also be responsible for securing the Iranian tourists during their movements among the sightseeing, ” a security source said.

The Iranian tourists arrived at Aswan International Airport on Saturday, the day that marked the first flight from Cairo to Teheran in 34 years, and they are scheduled to visit Luxor and Hurghada after Aswan.

The relations between Cairo and Tehran were cut off for after Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979.

The two countries started to gradually get “cautiously” closer after the 2011 upheaval of Egypt that ousted former President Hosni Mubarak.

Last August, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi visited Tehran to attend the Nonaligned Movements conference, becoming the first Egyptian president to visit Iran in decades.

Also, in February, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad became the first Iranian president to visit Egypt in 34 years by attending the summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Cairo.

Xinhuanet