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Iran, Kuwait to discuss Mideast developments: Official

Iran’s Foreign Minister Pays Tribute to Late Emir of Kuwait
Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah

“The expansion of bilateral cooperation, pursuit of agreements between Iran and Kuwait over the past few years and consultation about regional developments, the Middle East in particular, are on the agenda of the two countries’ officials,” head of the Persian Gulf Office of Iran’s Foreign Ministry Mohammad Ali Bek told Mehr news agency on Saturday.

He added that the Kuwaiti Emir will arrive in the Iranian capital on Sunday at the head of a high-ranking delegation on an official two-day visit and would hold talks with Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani.

He noted that closer cooperation with the Persian Gulf littoral states is a central plank of Iran’s foreign policy and said the Kuwaiti Emir’s visit to Tehran would open a new chapter in the two country’s relations.

The Iranian official said the two countries would sign five agreements and memoranda of understanding and exchange security documents.

In a meeting with his Kuwaiti opposite number Sheikh Sabah Khaled al-Hamad al-Sabah in Algiers on Thursday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the Kuwaiti Emir’s visit would further boost mutual relations.

In a statement released on Monday, Kuwait’s cabinet expressed hope that Sheikh Sabah’s visit would strengthen “security, stability and peace in the region,” and upgrade Iran-Kuwait bilateral cooperation in various fields.

MP: China Planning to Finance Completion of Khoda Afarin Dam in Northwestern Iran

Khoda Afarin Dam in Northwestern Iran
Khoda Afarin Dam in Northwestern Iran

“A delegation comprised of members of the Iranian parliament and energy technicians will leave Tehran for China on Monday for negotiations with the Chinese company over the finance deal by the Chinese side,” Habib Boroumand said on Friday.

Highlighting the significance of the watershed network of the dam in development of the region and the country, he said, “After completion and putting to use of this project thousands of new job opportunities in the region will be created.”

Khoda Afarin Dam is an earth-fill embankment dam on the Aras River straddling the border between Iran and Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. It is located 8 km West of Khomarloo in East Azerbaijan Province, Iran and 14 km Southwest of Soltanlı in Hadrut Province, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. It is located 1 km upstream of the Khoda Afarin Bridges. The purpose of the dam is hydroelectric power generation and irrigation. It was conceived as a joint project with the Soviet Union and both sides reached an agreement in October 1977.

Designs were finalized in 1982, revised in the early 1990s and construction began in 1999. The dam was complete and began to impound water in 2008. It was inaugurated in 2010. The irrigation works are still underway. During construction, several Bronze Age sites were discovered, including the grave of a Saka-Scythian warrior. The reservoir filling, or impoundment, was delayed in 2008 to accommodate excavations. The dam’s power plant has an installed capacity of 102 MW and is designed to irrigate 75,000 ha.

30 Countries to Take Part in ‘Friends of Syria Conference’ in Iran

Alaedin Broujerdi

“The presence of over 30 countries in the second conference (of chairpersons of the national security and foreign policy commissions of the parliaments of those countries which have friendly relations with Syria) shows that many other countries have joined the peace caravan and many people support the Islamic Republic of Iran’s policies on the Syrian crisis,” Chairman of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi told reporters one day before the start of the conference in Tehran.

“Most of the countries believe that the Syrian crisis only has a political solution and … the policy of strengthening terrorism pursued by the US and its allies has today turned into a serious and potential problem,” he added.

Elaborating on the situation in Syria, Boroujerdi underlined that as the government of President Bashar al-Assad gains growing power each day, certain changes are also made to the country’s constitution to make Syria more democratic, and “this means the failure of Washington’s policies”.

Iran held the first ‘Friends of Syria Conference’ in the presence of the chairpersons of the foreign policy commissions of Iran, Algiers, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Russia in March this year.

Resolutions of the Syrian crisis through diplomacy and immediate end to violation of human rights were the main topics of the first conference.

Venezuelan and Cuban ambassadors to Tehran were also present at the event.

Iranian officials have repeatedly underlined that Tehran is in favor of negotiations between the Syrian government and opposition groups to create stability in the Middle-Eastern country.

In November 2012, Iran hosted a meeting between the representatives of the Syrian government and opposition to encourage them to start talks to find a political solution to their problems. The National Dialogue Conference kicked off work in Tehran mid November with the motto of ‘No to Violence, Yes to Democracy”.

The meeting brought together almost 200 representatives of various Syrian ethnicities, political groups, minorities, the opposition, and state officials.

Syria has been the scene of deadly violence since March 2011. Over 130,000 people have reportedly been killed and millions displaced due to the crisis.

According to reports, the western powers and their regional allies – specially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey – are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.

Syrian elections to consolidate Al-Assad legitimacy: Velayati

Ali Akbar Velayati
Ali Akbar Velayati

Speaking exclusively with IRNA, Velayati referred to the Syrian presidential election, which is set to be held on June 3.

He stressed that the important elections will be crashing response to the hostility of certain countries and the opponent sides of the Syrian government and nation.

 

Like many other countries and international institutions, Iran has decided to dispatch a parliamentary delegation to Syria to supervise the Syrian presidential elections, he added.

 

Hormuz Island to host next GNAP

Iran - Hormoz - GNAP
Iran - Hormoz - GNAP

Ahmad Nadalian further said that the project has been initiated by the Korean Nature Art Association, also known as YATOO, Iran Daily to be published on Sunday said.

The eventˈs last edition was held at the Geumgang Nature Art Center in South Korea from May 1-20, 2014.

The exhibition showcased photos, videos, installations and drawings which were developed from the field works created by 21 artists from 10 countries during their travels in the central southern parts of Korea.

ˈAround 30 artists took part in the event. Iranian artist Mahmoud Maktabi also participated,ˈ Nadalian said.

ˈDuring the program, Maktabi introduced some of the works of Iranian environmental artists in a lecture. A special section was devoted to the international Pardis Center on Hormuz Island.ˈ

Nadalian said the projectˈs organizers were keen on holding the eventˈs next edition on Hormuz Island.

Nadalian has been working for the last 15 years as an environmental artist. He has centers in Tehran, Polour, and on Hormuz Island.

Persian literary figures honored at Turkish university

Ferdousi - Persian literary figures
Ferdousi - Persian literary figures

The ceremony was attended by a large number of Persian literature enthusiasts and Iranian students studying in Turkey, Iran Daily to be published on Sunday said.

Mohsen Mortezaeifar, the Iranian consul general, in Istanbul also attended the ceremony.

The event was organized by Iranian Consulate in Istanbul.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mortezaeifar said that historical relations between Iran and Turkey have expanded and their political contacts emanates from the depth of ancient Persian literature.

As proved by historic documents, Persian literature comprises of a portion of Turkeyˈs history and culture and since ages the Turkish people think of Persian language as their cultural language, he noted.

Iranian consul general underlined the important role and high status of great classic Persian poets in promoting, improving and expanding Persian language.

ˈThese poets are in fact our national poets who wrote their poems out of their profound sentiments and the message of their verses is global.ˈ

by Islamic Republic News Agency

IRGC Army Chief: Message of peace, friendship for peace-seeking countries

Mohammad Pakpur - IRGC
Mohammad Pakpur - IRGC

ˈOur message for all the peace-seeking, those that support freedoms and prestige of the human beings around the globe, and especially our neighboring countries is strengthening (the foundations of) peace and friendship and proof for this claim is the past 200-year history of Iran, in which there is no trace of invading any country,ˈ said Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Commander Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour.

Focusing on the nature of the IRGC, Pakpour stressed the revolutionary aspect of that force, arguing that the revolution guards use forces who are pious believers, popular, revolutionary, and responsible and its prophecy and mission is preserving and safeguarding the Islamic Revolution and its precious achievements in various fields.

Brigadier General Pakpour said that the IRGC Army is one of the strongest forces of the revolution guards with numerous capacities which have emerged and well nurtured in the course of the 35 years of its prolific life.

He referred to encountering the anarchist rioting of the disturbers of social security and anti-revolutionary groups that were pursuing to defeat the revolution intrigued by the aliens during the early years after the victory of the Islamic Revolution.

ˈThe mighty presence of the IRGC Army during the pride-inspiring years of the eight-year Sacred Defense War (against the invasion of Saddam) and its comprehensive defense of the territorial integrity of Iran are among those moves,ˈ said Pakpour.

Brigadier General Pakpour said that safeguarding the countryˈs borders in sensitive parts during the years after the Sacred Defense during the years after the war and encountering the anti-revolutionary forces in those parts where they were commissioned to disturb the peace and security of the Islamic Republic of Iranˈs border regions was among the other missions of the IRGG Army.

The land force commander of the revolution guards reiterated that the praiseworthy victories of the IRGC Army in the establishment of an acceptable level of security in its mission areas in the southeast and northwest regions of the country despite the prevailing foreign sabotage and intrigues, and the eye-catching victories of this force in its line with its preventive force missions are among its other achievements.

He said that the effective and successful presence of IRGC Army in relief and rescue operations during natural disasters, such as flood and earthquakes are among the other achievements of the force, adding, ˈAlso in the field of the countryˈs construction, resorting to the engineering units of the IRGC and based on the Islamic Republic of Iran Governmentˈs demand are among the other moves of this revolutionary organization at the service of the people and the system officials.

Brigadier General Pakpour said that assisting the government in eradication of poverty in deprived parts of the country, including offering medical services, development projects, cultural work, academic services, and the like are among the other services offered by the IRGC Army.

Focusing on the ongoing developments in the region and the world, he said that during the recent decades the objective of the arrogant powers and the liar supporters of the human rights at the international scene, especially in the Middle East, has been waging wars, fomenting internal disputes within the Islamic countries, genocide, massacring women and children and the innocent civilians of the region, sowing the seeds of discord, and promoting disputes among the Muslims, regardless of their being Shiˈa and Sunni.

The revolution guardsˈ army commander reiterated that the entire mentioned plots were conducted pursuing a single objective, which is weakening the Muslims and strengthening he usurper Zionist regime, and the devastating wars wages in the region bear sufficient proof for the authenticity of that claim.

Brigadier General Pakpour said that that is while the Islamic Republic of Iranˈs stands have always been promoting unity and friendship among the world countries and nations contrary to the mentality of the arrogant powers, and grasping to the divine teachings, as the entire world nations have been harmed and bothered due to arrogant and unilateral thoughts and deeds.

The commander of the IRGC Army emphasized, ˈWe believe all world nations must enjoy full independence in heeding their internal affairs, and that is the essence of democracy, which the global arrogance is opposed to.ˈ

Present in the event, there were the military attaches of 35 foreign embassies, including from Syria, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Oman, Austria, Poland, Ecuador, Turkey, China, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, India, Japan, Algeria, Greece, Ukraine, North Korea, and Indonesia.

by Islamic Republic News Agency

Iran sends relief aid to flood-hit Balkans: Official

flood-hit balkans
flood-hit balkans

Shahabeddin Mohammadi-Araqi, IRCS deputy for international and humanitarian affairs, said on Saturday that the relief supplies were sent to Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as Serbia.

IRCS was among the first organizations to act in response to the massive flooding in the Balkan countries, Mohammadi-Araqi said.

He noted that the floods, which have been unprecedented in 120 years, prompted the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to issue an emergency appeal for help.

The Iranian Red Crescent responded to the appeal by providing financial assistance and essential supplies for those affected, including household items, foodstuff, and emergency shelter, the IRCS official added.

Recent record rainfall has caused historic floods in Bosnia and Serbia, causing 50 deaths and forcing tens of thousands to abandon their homes in the Balkan Peninsula.

The flooding forced the governments of Bosnia and Serbia to declare a state of emergency on May 15.

According to latest figures released by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the damage from the floods in the southeastern European region could cost some three billion euros (USD four billion).

by Presstv

 

Peyman Moadi selected for Shanghai film festival jury

Peyman Moadi selected for Shanghai film festival
Peyman Moadi selected for Shanghai film festival

The Chinese actress Gong Li will preside over the jury, which is composed of Korean director and screenwriter Im Sangsoo, Japanese director Shunji Iwai, Chinese director Liu Jie, British director Sally Potter and Danish director Lone Scherfig.

Moadi, 43, started his film career as a screenwriter in late 2000s and has written the screenplays for several famous Iranian films. He started his acting career in Asghar Farhadi’s “About Elly” (2009).

Two years later, he received a Silver Bear award for Best Actor in Leading Role for his performance as Nader in Farhadi’s “A Separation” (2011) from the Berlin International Film Festival. “Snow on the Pines” (2013) was his debut fiction as a director.

The Iranian movies “Angels Descend Together” by Hamed Mohammadi, the family drama “The Painting Pool” by Maziar Miri and “Snow” by Mehdi Rahmani are among the festival’s lineup.

The festival will be held from June 14 to 22.

by Khabaronline.ir

Iranian-Austrian Symphony Orchestra to perform in Tehran

Irania-Austrian symphony
symphony

 

 

The orchestra will perform Russian composer Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 9 during a concert at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall.

“The symphony has not been presented in Iran for a period of 36 years,” said the orchestra director Maziar Yunesi.

Iran’s eminent musicians Nader Mashayekhi, Azin Movahhed and Mohammad Reza Tafazzoli have been selected to collaborate with the orchestra.

Shostakovich’s symphony No. 9 is an ironic parody of Russian composer and pianist (1906–1975).

Iranian-Austrian Symphony Orchestra is scheduled to be held in September, 2014.

 

 

by Presstv