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Why Are Scholarships Important for Students’ Life?

College cost is ever-increasing, and it is estimated that four-year tuition and fees are increasing by 5% every year. While parents understand the value of their children’s education, the number of families that can afford the increasing cost of a college education has declined.

Apart from the tuition fee, the cost of college living, including food, books, and supplies, is also getting more expensive.  The fact that the state support for students has substantially declined does make the situation any better. These are among the main aspects that highlight the importance of scholarship.

To increase awareness of the benefits of scholarships, high school teachers often require students to write academic essays revolving around college programs, such as the best degree course to take and the type of programs to apply. To understand the concepts that sensitize students on what to expect when planning to join college look at these essay examples by Samplius. Some of these free samples also expand on the impact of the scholarship on students.

Why You Should Get a Scholarship

 

They Provide Financial Aid

With the rising cost of tuition fees and college cost of living, scholarship funds can be used to cover these costs.

Can Help You Get into Your Preferential University

Winning such a grant is a great step to increasing your chances of getting admission to your preferential university. Colleges are always looking for students with recognized accomplishments, and a merit scholarship confirms you are worth the admission.

Increases Your Chances of Studying Abroad

If your dream is to study abroad, then securing a grant is one of the best. Some programs cover all your expenses, which will help you settle easily.

Scholarships Make Your Resume Stand Out

Apart from the financial benefit, another importance of scholarships is an exceptional personal benefit.  A grant makes your resume stand out, which could boost your chances of landing your dream job.

Is Getting a Scholarship Hard?

Some are easy to get, while others are quite hard. Many universities, mainly private institutions, have programs where every applicant is considered. However, you are required to meet the set criteria to attain the opportunities. For example, you might be required to achieve a 3.5 GPA or higher in high school.  These are some of the ‘easy’ to get.

On the other hand, grants offered by other organizations or websites are quite ‘hard’ to get since only a few of the hundred applicants can qualify.

How to Get Scholarships

There are various ways you can secure a scholarship, but we will discuss three main strategies that will increase your chances of landing the best.

Step 1: An Abundance Mindset- Apply

Hoping to get a college scholarship will not help. You need to be hungry for the opportunity and apply to as many as possible. This will increase your chances of landing several from which you can choose the most beneficial.

Step 2: Identify Those That Most People Don’t Apply

Mostly target grants that pay thousands and those that few people apply. Some of the resources you can use to filter these opportunities include; scholarship search sites, career centers, library, and from friends and family.

Step 3: Apply for Those Identified in Step 2

After identifying the available scholarship opportunities, identify those worth applying. However, we recommend applying for ALL of them. This might be a daunting task, but this will give a wide range of options to select from when most of the applications go through.

Final Word

College scholarships are essential since they help relieve some education costs and also boost your chances of enrolling in your dream university. However, securing these grants can be such a pain, and this is the reason why we have highlighted three main strategies to help you secure a scholarship.

A Quick Guide On Idea Software and How It Works

A business’s success is closely related to how often it brings innovation to the industry. However, most companies are less enthusiastic about managing their ideas than coming up with one. For that, an idea software or idea management software is a fantastic tool. It will bring structure to the entire process and assist in the growth of a company.

What Is Idea Management Software?

Idea management is a structured process of collecting, organizing, developing, and implementing ideas. An idea software or idea management software makes this process more streamlined.

Having an idea management software would help in:

  • Gathering ideas more efficiently.
  • Understanding and defining idea development and its requirements.
  • Developing an idea into a fail-proof concept.
  • Implementation of ideas into compelling products with high ROI.

Why Is It Important?

A Quick Guide On Idea Software and How It WorksBetter Communication

With an idea management software, employees can pitch in their ideas and gain the needed attention without much struggle. As idea management brings in the required structure, notifying the key decision-makers on what needs to be done is far easier than with the traditional methods.

Offer Better Feedback

A Quick Guide On Idea Software and How It WorksWith idea management, offering feedback is smooth as each employee will understand their importance in the system. This would further help in rectifying the issues and promote better engagement of employees.

Identify Weak Links

An idea management software makes it easier for identifying the stages in which projects get stuck. Such realizations will help in notifying the stakeholders for more attention and effectively allocating resources.

Better Resource Management

An organization’s resources will have several tasks at hand. Knowing who is doing what and when each resource would be available is a troublesome process. With idea management, task assignment becomes more organized.

Reduce Failure Rate

Most ideas will fail. But with a systematic approach, the rate of failure can be hacked. As idea management involves organizing ideas and channeling resources to only the promising ones, there will be a significant reduction in the rate of failures.

Stand Apart

Businesses succeed or fail, even before you know it. With the industry being increasingly competitive, innovation is the only way a company can stand apart from the rest.

What Are The Benefits Of An Idea Management Software?

Surprisingly, an idea management software brings benefits for an entire organization, irrespective of seniority or department. Here are some of the critical advantages of having an idea management software.

  1. The pace of ideation and its evaluation will increase.
  2. Employees can effectively convey their ideas and ensure it don’t get lost in the pool.
  3. Employee engagement rates will significantly improve as ideation becomes a shared responsibility.
  4. Developing new products will increase revenue streams.
  5. Internal communication and collaboration will improve.
  6. Understanding customers and their needs will give a competitive advantage.
  7. Will help in improving existing processes and reduce resource wastage.

The Idea Management Process

Here are the steps to make your idea management process a productive one.

Set Goals

A Quick Guide On Idea Software and How It WorksOnce you decide to start an idea management process, take the time to assess your goals and objectives for this mission.

What benefits or outcomes do you expect from this process? Is there a time frame within which you are expecting some specific results?

The best thing to do – discuss it with your colleagues. Let them know the process in its entirety. This will make the process more efficient.

Discuss Strategies For Ideation

Ideas can come anywhere, anytime. What matters is how adept you are to capture them. While ideation isn’t restricted to a particular level of employees, the key decision-makers must invest more time to listen and implement them.

Facilitate An Environment For Ideation

This is one of the essential elements of a successful ideation process. An organization must make ideation a habit and strive to provide the environment for the same. Along with conducting events for “idea hacks,” the organization must allow any employee to chip in their ideas.

Encourage Collaborative Efforts

An idea might sprout in a solo effort, but developing and implementing it takes a team. An idea management software would facilitate a structured space for brainstorming and organizing ideas. This would further help in understanding the value of each concept and assess whether it is worth the time and effort.

Assess The Ideas

This step quantifies your efforts in brainstorming and discussing ideas. The types of ideas you have gathered may or may not align well with your organization’s goals. Assessing the ideas and determining its profitability will help the organization to decide on channeling their resources.

Implement

Once the organization finds ideas capable of bringing high ROI, it is time to put these ideas into action. By allocating resources accordingly and reviewing progress, the idea will soon take shape into a compelling product.

Recognize Efforts

The ideation process doesn’t end with the end product. Instead, the efforts have to be recognized and celebrated. This would energize the employees and compel them to contribute more.

Review

As you can see, the entire process of ideation is a reflection of a company’s progress in work culture. Each iteration of such processes will bring about several internal aspects that need further tweaking.

Was the process as productive as you expected it to be?

Are there any specific revelations that you came across during the process?

Did the process add value to the company’s progress?

Discuss these with your peers, and make sure you record their feedback as well. After all, idea management is all about how effectively you can utilize ideas for success and minimize chances of failures.

Boost Your Progress

As you can see, most companies fail to notice ideas. Little do they realize that it has the potential even to cause a disruptive innovation within the organization.

It is important to remember that idea management is not just a process – it is a cultural change in an organization for continued growth. However, it takes time and effort to standardize and make it open to the entire workforce. With an idea management software, this part is made easier.

Patokh Chodiev and His Foundation: Program to Combat Pandemic in Uzbekistan

The decree created a 10 trillion soms Emergency Fund and outlined a range of measures for social support, healthcare, income and labour protection.

The immediate priority for the Fund is to support the efforts to contain the spread of the virus, ensure a continuous supply of medications, personal protection and diagnostic equipment as well as make funding available for quarantine-related costs. 

As a result of this decree, the hardest-hit sectors of the economy are eligible for tax breaks, government loans and debt relief arrangements.

Patokh Chodiev: Assistance Strategy in Terms of Coronavirus Pandemic

Considering the disruption to the international trade there are no penalties for delayed import-export duties. For carriers, the list of goods that can use “Green Channel” clearance has been expanded.

200bn soms are allocated for the Social Development Fund to help with employment and for creation of a new infrastructure in Mahallas. Business Support Fund received 500bn soms to encourage new jobs creation.

The Committee for State Reserves Management monitors market prices and supplies goods from reserves where necessary. 

A special emphasis is paid to social protection – expansion of unemployment and other social benefits to a wider sector of the population. 

Aid Programme of International Chodiev Foundation

The International Chodiev Foundation took an active role in the implementation of the Government programme by announcing additional social benefits for those who are most affected by the pandemic. 

The first phase of Foundation support is implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice and provides food and hygiene supplies to senior citizens and low-income families. This is a countrywide programme. The kits also contain guidelines and other helpful information in Uzbek about social distancing rules and the importance of personal hygiene during the pandemic.  

This is not the first charitable initiative by ICF in Uzbekistan. In September 2019, the International Chodiev Foundation announced a programme to improve the living standards and stimulate construction. More than 40bn soms was directed towards the activities as part of the “Obod Kishlok” (Improved rural living) programme as well as new Xovos City development in Khavast district. In 2018 ICF provided support to a number of institutions for children with disabilities: Specialised Boarding School N32 in Jizzakh, Boarding School N19 for children with developmental disabilities in Chirakhchi and Muruvvat facility in Kashkadarya Region. 

History of International Chodiev Foundation 

The International Chodiev Foundation was established in 1996 by the successful businessman and keen philanthropist Dr Patokh Chodiev. Today the Foundation is a global centre for development and advancement of science, arts, education and innovation in Eurasia. Its representative office in Uzbekistan was established in 2017.

In order to ensure the timely implementation of these measures, the Government has set up an anti-crisis committee chaired by the Prime Minister of Uzbekistan. During the two-month period starting from 22 March, the Committee is focusing on limiting the spread of the virus, ensuring safe working conditions in the manufacturing, services and retail industries as well as transportation and logistics.

Source: spektr.news

Are You New to Day Trading? You Need to Create a Day Trading Plan!

SMART plans call for new traders to create goals that are: Specific, Measurable, Attractive, Realistic, and can be set to a specific Timetable. If your goal is to make a living as a day trader in the coming months and years, there are some essential steps to take as you learn how to start day trading.

All new traders have to be disciplined and must have a process. In addition to having a SMART plan in place, new traders should draw up a formal day trading plan. While trading, traders need to have a simple checklist in front of them and should only scan the stocks on their watch list. To eliminate as many variables as possible, traders should keep their stock universe small and have a share-sizing chart. Process wise traders need to keep a trading journal, meet regularly with their trading coach, and pay attention to the rules of achievement chart that brokers use to track progress.

New traders should measure progress not by their profits and losses, but by how well they followed the rules. To make it easier to follow the rules and not give into the temptation for larger profits, guidelines teaches its traders to start small. These small trades make it easier for traders to diligently follow their day trading plan. When trading, it’s best to keep a trading log and mark up the day’s charts. All traders should study their logs and charts, keeping track of what they did right or wrong and looking for areas to improve. New traders should identify one area where they excel and work that into their day trading plan.

Through taking these measures to have a process and a day trading plan, Wall Street Traders can avoid many of the pitfalls that hurt new traders. These “trading demons” play into natural tendencies to be greedy and let emotion influence decisions. Some “trading demons” to look out for include:

  • Trading counter trend, or without consideration for what’s trending.
  • Trading without pattern or set-up. New traders need to be disciplined and stick to what the charts are telling them.
  • Taking late entries or chasing triggers. When learning how to start day trading, it’s incredibly important to take the emotion out of trading.
  • Trading without a stop or without keeping stops. Stops limit losses and lock in profits.
  • Not having targets or not taking profits while they are there. Don’t be greedy, stick to the process.
  • Overtrading or revenge trading.
  • Averaging down on a losing stock. Just let it go!
  • Turn losing trades into higher time frame holds. Stick to the day trading plan!

For more information on how to create an effective day trading plan and learn more about CFD trading, please visit ETFinance.eu

Iranian Artists Design Masks to Praise Nurses’ Efforts in COVID-19 Fight

A member of the designing team and director of the Isfahan Museum of Contemporary Arts says the masks have been designed as part of a campaign started by Iranian artists in various fields of literature, cinema, music and visual arts to lift the people’s spirits amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

Mahdi Tamizi said Isfahani artists sought to appreciate the efforts of medical staff in Iran and other parts of the world on the International Nurse Day by offering the masks to nurses.  

He further noted that the masks will be useful for preventing the spread of the coronavirus, and will help promoting one of the famous handicrafts of Isfahan in the world.

Qalamkari; Traditional Art of Making Hand-Painted Textile (8)
Qalamkari; Traditional Art of Making Hand-Painted Textile (8)

“The masks prepared by Isfahan Art Group are made of Qalamkar (a type of hand-painted cotton textile). The design shows the Arc Tower whose image is engraved on the entrance of a historical bazaar in Isfahan,” he noted. 

Tamizi further added that some of the masks will be sent to 13 sister cities of Isfahan, such as Xi’an in China, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and Freiburg in Germany. 

“A number of these masks will also be sent to several cultural places in the world, such as the United Nations and the World Health Organisation,” he continued. 

96 Iranian Inventions Granted International Patents

96 Iranian Inventions Granted International Patents

The Iranian Vice Presidency for Science and Technology’s Patent Centre said on Saturday it has supported 96 Iranian inventions in registering patents in the international offices so far.

The centre says its provides the support to commercialize the Iranian inventions on the basis of homegrown technologies and to assist the local inventors in the “complicated” process of applying and obtaining an international patent.

An inventor usually has to bear the heavy costs of applying for an international patent, but the Iranian Vice Presidency for Science and Technology’s Patent Centre reduces the burdens with special methods of interaction with the foreign patent offices and also covers more than 90 percent of the costs once an Iranian invention is qualified, a report by the government’s website said.

In the current Iranian year, which began on March 20, the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology’s Patent Centre says it has broadened the patent registration market in order to expedite the process of fulfillment of goals of the Iranian businesses, and is offering services for patent applications in the US, Canada, China, and the European Union (EU).

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on May 16

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on November 18

Iranian Newspapers

Abrar Newspaper:

  1. Iran Exports Coronavirus Testing Kits to Germany, Turkey: Ministry
  2. Iran Stresses Need for Controlling Afghan Border, Activation of Inactive Border Posts
    JCPOA Has Not at All Prevented Our Progress: Zarif

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on May 16


Aftab-e Yazd Newspaper:

1- Tehran-Riyadh: An Equation without Solution
Bin Salman Has Asked Iraq to Mediate between Iran, Saudi: Report
2- US President Threatens to Cut Off All Ties with China

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on May 16


Ebtekar Newspaper:

  1. US Ended Its Participation in UNSC Resolution 2231 Long Time Ago: Zarif to US
  2. US, China in Star Wars: The Virus Turns into Turning Point in US-China RivalryA Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on May 16

Ettela’at Newspaper:

  1. Zarif: Americans Will Lose; European Parties to JCPOA Must Correct Their Behaviour
  2. Russia Takes US’ Coup Attempt against Venezuela to Security CouncilA Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on May 16

Iran Newspaper:

  1. Corona Vaccine Must Be Given to Entire World Population for Free: 120 World Figures
  2. Washington Threatens to Sever All Ties with China: US’ Dark Winter under TrumpA Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on May 16

Javan Newspaper:

  1. Corona in Its Final Days
  2. Health Ministry: 80% of New Cases of Infection Have Weak Symptoms, Receive Outpatient Treatment
  3. Moscow, Beijing to Veto Extension of Iran Arms SanctionsA Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on May 16

Jomhouri Eslami Newspaper:

  1. Russia, China Strongly Opposed to US Adventure of Extending Iran Arms Embargo
  2. Iran Calls on Freedom-Seeking Nations, Governments to Show Effective Support for PalestineA Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on May 16

Kayhan Newspaper:

  1. US Dangerous Plan to Help 10,000 ISIS Elements Escape
  2. US State Department Blacklists Iran
  3. US’ Impudent Anti-Iran Plot Faced with Russia, China’s Fierce Opposition, Europe’s SilenceA Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on May 16

Mardom Salari Newspaper:

  1. Bin Salman Asks Iraqi PM to Help Improve Tehran-Riyadh Ties: Middle East Eye
  2. A Review of Suspicious Incident at Iran-Afghanistan Border
  3. Iranian Border Guards Stress Full Control over Afghan BorderA Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on May 16

Resalat Newspaper:

  1. White House’s Futile Fuss against Iran: Russia, China Respond to Hook’s Nonsense Remarks
  2. Secrets behind Europe’s Silence over Iran’s Arms Embargo [Editorial]A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on May 16

Sazandegi Newspaper:

  1. Conspiracy in White House: Trump Seeking to Victimize Obama in Order to Win Nov. VotesA Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on May 16

Shargh Newspaper:

  1. Democrat Senator Calls for Iran-US Peace Plan amid Coronavirus Outbreak
  2. Return of Ahmadinejad: Ex-President’s Allies Running for Presidential VotesA Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on May 16

Vatan-e Emrooz Newspaper:

  1. Little Saddam Backs Off? Bin Salman Urges Iraq PM to Mediate between Iran, Saudi
  2. Blood Money for Occupation
  3. US’ Double-Standard Policies toward Kabul, Taliban Increase Chaos in AfghanistanA Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on May 16

Chabahar Port; International Gate in Southeastern Iran

International Port of Chabahar in Southern Iran

The port city of Chabahar, which is about 17,150 square km in area with a population of nearly 200,000, is located in Sistan and Baluchestan Province in extreme southeastern Iran. Chabahar is the only Iranian port by the Indian Ocean.

The fact that this Iranian port has deep waters right up to its shoreline makes it ideal for ocean liners to dock. In other words, Chabahar does have what it takes to turn into a mega-port.

Chabahar port is a transit gate in southeastern Iran and a strategic area for expansion of the transit industry. On top of its strategic position, Chabahar is home to many tourist attractions.

The following is a list of wonderful sites in the port city worth visiting:

 

Tis Port

Tis Port
Tis Port has been originally built during Achaemenid era.

Tis Port, which dates back 2,500 years, is known as Tiz Port in the books on Alexander the Great’s conquests. Tis used to be a busy commercial port which was destroyed during the Mongol invasion of Iran. Ancient sites such as castles and graves in Tis Port are indicative of its age-old civilization.

 

Tis Mosque of Chabahar

Tis Mosque
Tis Mosque has been constructed a millennium ago

Tis Mosque is located in a beautiful namesake village, 9 km from Chabahar. The mosque was first built 1,000 years ago. Thanks to the single-minaret mosque’s proximity to Pakistan and India, its architecture and interior design are similar to Pakistani and Indian places of Muslim worship.

 

Tomb of Seyyed Gholam Rasoul

Tomb of Seyyed Gholam Rasoul
The tomb of Seyyed Gholam Rasoul has been built during Seljuq era.

According to Muslim accounts, Seyyed Gholam Rasoul, originally known as Seyyedena Mohammad, was a Muslim Indian. On a visit to Chabahar, he decided to marry a local girl, but on his wedding night he fell ill. In his will, he asked others to refrain from mourning for him and instead celebrate for ten nights to secure blessings for his soul.

Every year on the 15th day of the 11th month of the Lunar calendar, a 10-day celebration is held in his memory at his tomb, 5 km to the northwest of Chabahar. During the ceremony, elderly women enter the tomb to say prayers for others and ask God to heal the sick while men stay outside and play music. The tomb has white walls and Indian-style architecture. The exterior of the structure is graced with paintings and religious phrases. This structure was built in the Seljuq era; its murals were painted later during the Safavid era. The tomb dates back to the 11th century AD.

 

Telegraph House of Chabahar

Telegraph House
Telegraph House of Chabahar

The Telegraph House is the oldest modern building in Chabahar port which was built by the British in 1864, at the end of the Qajar era, to promote sailing and trade, and to connect India, Jask [a city in Hormozgan Province] and Bandar Abbas. The beautiful structure with sloping slate shutters and arches has been registered as a national monument.

 

Rocky Coasts

Rocky coasts of Chabahar
There are stunning rocky coasts in southeastern Iran

Coasts along the Sea of Oman, particularly in Chabahar, are rocky. Iran’s most beautiful rocky coasts are in Sistan and Baluchestan Province. Whales can often be seen frolicking off these coasts.

 

Banmasity Caves

Banmasity Caves
Banmasity caves have been either shelters of places of worship

In the Shahbazband Mountains, about 25 m above ground level, there are two man-made caves and one natural one. The trio is called Banmasity Caves by locals. In the local language, ban means a pious person and masity is a place of worship. Inside the small natural cave, there is a cubic grave whose dome is 40 cm high. On three sides of the dome, there are inscriptions and signs in red and purple which are similar to Indian writing. Seven steps away, there is a second cave made of stucco and stone. The third cave is 50 m away. These caves seem to have served as either a shelter or a place of worship. At the entrance to all three caves, there is a platform that seems to have been used for religious rituals.

 

Portuguese Castle of Chabahar

Portuguese Castle - Chabahar
The main building of Chabahar Portuguese Castle has been constructed in pre-Islamic era

The so-called Portuguese Castle is located on top of a hill in the village of Tis which was an important Iranian seaport during the Achaemenid Empire. The castle which is five km away from Chabahar was built during the Safavid era. As the Portuguese started to expand their naval fleet in the 16th century, they used the castle as a base to extend their influence in Iran and other Persian Gulf countries. The area where the castle is built on dates back to the pre-Islamic era. The castle has been registered on the list of Iran’s national heritage sites and is being restored.

 

Pink Wetland

Pink Wetland of Chabahar
The Pink wetland of Chabahar is home to several aquatic species

The pink wetland of Lipar is located just 200 meters from the northern edge of the Sea of Oman and south of a namesake village in Chabahar, in Sistan and Baluchistan province. The wetland is one of the alluring natural attractions of the area where those who are fond of the marine environment can catch a glimpse of beautiful scenery. What stands out about the wetland, which sits on the edge of Lipar’s seasonal lagoon 20 kilometers to the east of Chabahar, is its water which looks pink. This body of water which is 10 hectares in area accounts for 90 percent of herbal planktons in the region and is home to a large number of species, flora and fauna.

 

Mud Volcano of Chabahar

Mud Volcano
The mud volcano in Chabahar is 20 m in height

In the northwest of Chabahar, 20 km away from Kahir Village, in a vast plain there is a mud volcano. Mud volcanoes are remarkable geo-tourist attractions. There are only a handful of mud volcanoes – formations created by geo-exuded slurries and gases – across the world. Sounds similar to gunshots can be frequently heard when such volcanoes are active. The mud volcano in Chabahar is 20 m in height and its crater is 12 m in diameter. Over the several years of activity, the flow of mud has formed a hill around the volcano where no plant can grow.

 

Martian Mountains of Chabahar

Martian mountains in southeastern Iran
Surreal view of Martian Mountains

The southeastern city of Chabahar is on the Gulf of Oman with breathtaking natural places which are reminiscent of dreamy images. The city is home to astonishing mountains that stand in parallel with coastal areas of the Gulf of Oman. Locals call the mountains Martian because, as far as appearance is concerned, they have nothing in common with other mountains in Iran.

 

Baluchi Embroidery

Baluchi Embroidery in Chabahar
Embroidery is an ancient Iranian art popular with Baluch women

Baluchi embroidery is an ancient Iranian traditional art popular with women. Baluchi embroidery is completely different from other styles of embroidery. People in Chabahar use such embroidery to embellish their clothes with simple, colorful patterns.

Iran Says Strongly Supports Syria in Fight against Terrorism

Iran Says Strongly Supports Syria in Fight against Terrorism

Senior Assistant to Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs in Special Political Affairs Ali-Asghar Khaji on Saturday stressed the Islamic Republic’s strong support for Syria in the fight against terrorism.

Speaking in a meeting with Syrian Ambassador to Iran Adnan Hassan Mahmoud, Khaji said it is important for Iran, Russia and Turkey to continue joint efforts and cooperation in the framework of the Astana process as well.

Khaji also referred to the continuation of US “unilateral” sanctions against the Syrian people amid the difficult conditions and the spread of coronavirus, highlighting that the international community must support the Syrian people, the country’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity within the framework of international law and the fight against terrorism.

For his part, the Syrian ambassador said the two countries’ relations are strategic, emphasising that consultations between Iran and Syria must be developed at the bilateral and regional levels.

The two sides also exchanged views on the latest developments in Syria and relations between Tehran and Damascus.

Syria has been under the US economic sanctions since 1979. The Arab country has also been gripped by a civil war since 2011.

Iran Dismisses US Claim China Must Be Blamed for COVID-19 Outbreak

Iran Condemns Expansion of EU, US Sanctions on Syria

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi wrote on his Twitter account on Saturday, “Iran rejects the US regime’s attempt to discredit and blame China for the spread of COVID-19.”

Mousavi went on to say that the US regime’s move is aimed at diverting public opinion from the incompetence of the Trump administration to save American lives and reopen the country’s economy.

He also called on independent states to stand up to this coercion by Washington.

In the latest escalation of US tensions with Beijing, Donald Trump has blamed China for the scale of the coronavirus pandemic, slamming China over its lack of transparency and warning that Washington could cut off its ties with the Asian country.

“There are many things we could do,” Trump told Fox News on Thursday. “We could cut off the whole relationship. Now if you did, what would happen? You’d save $500bn.”