by The Commentator on 11 April 2013 23:45

Egyptians “would love” to be part of an Islamic Union which would bring together not only the Muslim countries but Israel, Russia and Armenia. The group would look to to discuss solutions to regional conflicts, the prominent Islamist member of the Egyptian parliament told a Turkish television station this week.

Abdulmawgoud Dardery, head of the Foreign Relations Committee at Egypt’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), told Turkey's A9 TV channel that Egyptians “cannot wait” to see the formation of an Islamic Union model, in which even non-Islamic countries such as Israel, Russia and Armenia take part, according to a press report by the Turkish channel sent to the Al Arabiya news network.

After being asked as to whether such a union was possible, Dardery made the above statement in response. He said Egyptians “would do whatever it takes on their part to contribute to that,” the report added.

Dardery and other Islamist MPs were visiting Turkey this week to seek “advice on how they could speed up the process of reforming their country, including ways to fight corruption, cleaning up the streets, and improving human rights,” the report said.

The other Islamist MPs were founding FJP member Mohamed Abdelsalam Elsanousy and Saad Ahmed, also a founding member of the FJP and responsible for education and civil society in the Luxor region.

Egypt’s Freedom and Justice Party is the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood movement.