Iran Security Only Achievable in Safe, Developed Mideast: FM

In a Monday address to a gathering of Iranian expatriates living in the German capital of Berlin, the Iranian foreign minister called Iran the strongest nation of the Middle East with the highest public support, and said, “Our security and progress can be ensured only in a safe and developed region.”

“Those [states] which have been trying to ensure their own security at the cost of other nations’ security have achieved nothing but insecurity and degradation,” Zarif went on to say.

He further noted that while a huge wave of prejudice has wreaked havoc on the region and put the regional governments in deep troubles, Iran is totally secure thanks to its nation.

Zarif praised the Iranians for their strong resistance, intention and will in different battles the country has gone through over the past decades, and added this was the strong support of the Iranian nation for the government that forced the world powers to sit for talks over Iran’s nuclear energy program.

He said the success of the talks, which resulted in a nuclear deal between Tehran and the six world powers, was not possible without the Iranian nation’s full support for the negotiating team.

“Do we have anything behind us except for the full support, resilience and participation of our people? Our nation showed resistance to a violent and aggressive enemy and thwarted the plots of Saddam Hussein and his allies. This was the nation who took part in the reconstruction of our country [after the Iraqi imposed war].”

Zarif said, “It was the Iranians who resisted the international sanctions. This was our nation who explicitly announced, during the recent presidential election, that there is no gap between them and the government. The Iranian [nuclear] negotiation team was just a symbolic team representing the determined Iranians. This was the nation who brought the six powers to the negotiating table and clinched the nuclear deal.”

“If we didn’t have the nation behind us, the other sides would not allow us to have even one centrifuge. President Obama once said we would not allow the Iranians to have even one centrifuge, if we could. So we feel proud of this nation,” he said.

He also referred to the statements made by the Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei during the Edi al-Fitr prayers on Monday, and said, as the leader noted, the government must immediately step in and meet the public’s demands.

“Each member of our nation is our patron, and this includes the Iranians who represent their nation here in Berlin. They are not accountable to us. This is us who are accountable to them,” he said.

Foreign Ministry’s Role in Iran’s Development

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Iranian foreign minister said a good chance has arisen to establish an enduring relation with Europe, particularly strong economic relations with Germany.

“If we sit idle, the other sides will seize the opportunities and turn them into threats against us,” he noted.

Zarif said, “We should not allow the thought behind the zero-sum game, which requires being totally devoted to the enemies, to deprive our nation of their choice. As the Leader said today, we need unity and solidarity.”

Therefore, he added, the foreign ministry shoulders the heavy responsibility of taking full advantage of each available opportunity to achieve the country’s goals and pave the way for realization of the Economy of Resistance.

“We also have to expand our country’s scientific and technological ties. We have already made great progress in advanced sciences and achieved a one-digit rank across the globe. We have to develop our local technologies by taking advantage of the world’s developed technologies,” he said.

Zarif further called for attracting the talented Iranians inside and outside the country and added, “No capital is more valuable than the talents of our countrymen in the development of the country.”

The Iranian top diplomat also noted that in the current Persian calendar year – which was named by the Leader as the Year of Resistance Economy, Production, and Employment – Iran’s foreign ministry feels committed to playing a role and paving the way for exporting Iranian products to global markets and create 1,200 new jobs each year.