President Rouhani received and addressed the meeting on Monday evening where he believed that the sagacious leadership of Imam Khomeini (RA) contributed most to the victory of the Revolution then and to Iran’s current place in international arena; “our territorial integrity, national sovereignty, and solidarity are owing to him as a heavenly Leader; his command succeeded to keep us upright against the hegemonic powers of the time. He was an exceptional figure in history, a philosopher, a worldly-wise man, and a political Leader who knew the events and interpreted them accurately and cogently, teaching us much of its turns and twists,” he told the meeting.
Rouhani also extended lavish to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution; “Leader of the Islamic Revolution is a true successor to the late Imam Khomeini (RA) and has guided this nation through tumultuous events of the recent 37 years since the Revolution.”
Rouhani believed that Iran’s national unity and solidarity hinged upon fraternity and sympathy of all ethnic and religious groups; “in the list of Imposed War martyrs, we are honored to see young warriors of all ethnic groups; Armenian, Assyrian, Kurd, Shia, Baluch, etc. thank to intrepidity of whom now we have our territorial integrity,” he asserted, thus paying homage to much-delayed recognition of ethnic contribution to the history of war.
“West Azerbaijan province provides the quintessential example of the variegation of ethnic groups; this unity and colorful ethnic diversity provided the cement for a national unity then and enabled us to stand against any encroachments by the enemies; all ethnic groups, either in war or in peace, had been loyal to the Establishment; piety, unity, solidarity, and ample opportunities are the ingredients of a recipe enough for great national achievements,” Rouhani rejoiced to tell the meeting.
“Peaceful symbiosis among our diverse ethnic groups has bestowed upon this land a common root and spirit which believes Iran belongs to all of us,” he added.
On nuclear negotiation as a feat of his government, Rouhani believed that the negotiation was an art of the statesmanship where expert figures were given the mission; “this is crucial for a politician to score success in securing a deal against world powers. The feat was as difficult as fighting a battle on the ground,” he told the meeting.
On the question of meritocracy, president believed that country should use all elite forces and experts in the road to development, especially women; “today, in a region rife with violence and instability, Iran is an island of stability and is very strong; we believe Saudi Arabia however has deliberately created difficulties for our pilgrims’ going to hajj, trying to implicate Iran as common enemy and a pariah country so that to attack it easily; the Holy Shrines belong to all Muslims and the puerile conduct of Saudi officials would only serve Zionist interests,” he emphasized.
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