TEHRAN, Jan. 5 (Mehr News Agency) - Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini said on Thursday that Tehran welcomes recent calls by Egyptian officials to normalize its diplomatic relations with Cairo.

"There is great potential for the two countries to cooperate in regional and international affairs," Hosseini said in a statement.

However the Egyptian officials should take practical steps to realize this aim and normalize relations, he added.

Hosseini said adopting a realistic approach based on mutual interests could prepare the grounds for resumption of full diplomatic ties.

Consultation between the two important regional states of Iran and Egypt can play a key role in establishing stability and security in the region and protecting the interests of the Islamic and Arab countries against the expansionist demands of foreigners and occupiers, the spokesman noted.

The two Muslim countries have had no diplomatic ties since the 1979 Islamic Revolution due to Egypt's Camp David Accord with Israel in 1978.

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