President Rouhani attended the Iranian Parliament a few minutes after its opening session to review the qualifications, plans and records of the proposed ministers for Science, Research and Technology, as well as Energy.
"We are glad that the university is alive and academics are sensitive to the scientific future of the country," he said while speaking at the Parliament.
"I will continue to fulfill my promises to the people until the last day of my responsibility", said President Rouhani, adding the administration has set its course on respect for science and university and the non-security environment in universities and will not abandon this course.
In defending his proposed minister for Science, Mansour Gholami, Rouhani said he is a leading university professor, who belongs to all students and political tastes.
No one should feel that the university is safe for some and unsafe for some, he said, adding "Islam, the law and the expediency of the country do not allow us to stand against each other."
"Now is the time for national unity and resistance against enemies," continued Rouhani, saying "the main burden of coping with enemies and colonialism has been on the shoulder of the university."
Stating that it is not appropriate for university graduates to look for jobs for years, he said "I will personally monitor the administration of universities."
Mansour Gholami was born in Hamedan in 1953 and has BS and MS degrees in agriculture from Iranian universities and PhD from Australia. He is currently chancellor of Abu-Ali Sina University in Hamedan.
Pointing to water issue, Rouhani said water is one of the most important issues of today and tomorrow. Many efforts have been made to keep water stable, but today there is not enough water for dams, he noted.
Rouhani also went on to say "we are still trying to import water, but we must rely on our resources," adding that water needs heavy investment.
"Administration's plans for wastewater treatment are ongoing," he continued, adding "the most investment should be made on the demand and utilization of water."
Stating that extraterritorial cultivation is one of the ways to manage water resources, President Rouhani said "we are making great efforts to promote water technology and utilize modern irrigation practices."
He also said that the administration's approach to agriculture is less water and land and more crops, adding "the water issue can be solved by co-ordination."
"The Ministry of Energy should be the ministry of wisdom to maintain water resources for future generations," he underlined.
Pointing to the experience and expertise of his proposed minister for Energy, Reza Ardakanian, in water issues, Rouhani said "the late Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani was concerned about the development of Iran".
Reza Ardakanian, the nominee for Ministry of Energy was born in Yazd in 1958. He has a BS in civil engeneering and MS in water resources engineering. He also has a PhD in water management from Canada.
Mansour Gholami, the pick for Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, said he abides by law, approaches and current issues.
“As a teacher coming from a great academic family, I require myself to appreciate President Hassan Rouhani for nominating me as the proposed minister of science, research and technology and also the MPs for reviewing qualifications of the proposed ministers as well as me”. Mansour Gholami said.
He added “if I win a vote of confidence to serve scientific institutions, it will truly be a tough responsibility to deal with but I can handle that even better if I have the support of all academics, governmental organizations and the nation."
The proposed minister of science said he made himself responsible to present his experiences and knowledge within this historically sensitive moment.
LR/PR
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