Iran’s president orders formation of joint committees with three neighbors

During a visit to West Azarbaijan Province, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi ordered the governor to promote and facilitate interactions with adjacent border cities of neighboring countries in coordination with the Foreign Ministry.

“People expect that no harm will be caused to them in their livelihoods, jobs and other fields such as exports, production, and cultural as well as social issues,” the president said.

“In the next 40 years of the Islamic Revolution, as the second step, we should develop a fair view of what has been done so far. In the first 40 years, we had many achievements in the areas of security, defense and military, but we had setbacks in other fields,” he added.

Raisi said in order to make up for the setbacks, the country needs to double its efforts, adding, “All managers in the province and the entire country should know that sincere jihadi work (hard work), coupled with motivation and wisdom, is needed to bring about progress and compensate for the setbacks. We should know that any step that we take toward science, technology, production, and job-creating and knowledge-based activities angers the enemies and pleases the people and God.”

He said there is no time for trial and error and everything should be done wisely and with certitude.
“We should benefit from all the experience existing inside and outside the country. We will not act what others prescribe blindly and without expert analysis, but it is necessary for us to pay attention to the experience of others and benefit from it if the need arises,” the president said.

Raisi said a leap in the province’s progress can only be taken with the solidarity and participation of people, adding, “157 plans have been approved for the provincial trip and people expect to see tangible measures and stepped-up efforts in the field of action for the province’s progress.”

He pointed to the proximity of the province to three neighboring states and ordered the governor to promote and facilitate interactions with adjacent border cities of neighboring countries in coordination with the Foreign Ministry.

The formation of a joint committee between Iran and the three countries can further facilitate cross-border relations, the president said.

He also urged the governor to draw up initiatives for incentives to boost investments in the province so that the government will work to lay the necessary groundwork.

The president continued by saying that his administration is serious about organizing border trade, adding, “The administration looks at borders not as a threat but as an opportunity. Border trade is tied to the livelihood of a part of people living in the border areas and cannot be shut down. Border trade and cross-border labor has to be organized based on the country’s trade laws. Guidelines to organize border trade will be issued by the administration in the near future, but several paragraphs in it need to be discussed at the parliament, which I hope will be ratified sooner rather than later.”

Raisi said that if necessary, the province’s customs need to offer services 24/7, and said, “Developing exports hinges on customs services being offered promptly. Furthermore, various apparatuses at the customs should operate under centralized management, and the provincial governor, as the administration’s supreme representative in the province, needs to handle the matter.”

The Iranian president said, “The lack of continuity in regulations and the issuance of different memos making it impossible for the exporter and the producer to predict the future of their activities are severely harmful to production and exports.”

He emphasized the importance of employing local forces in the province and said, “The priority, in filling job openings under equal conditions, is with the locals, except for when a certain position requires certain expertise.”

The president also stressed the need to remove accident-prone spots on roads in the province as a “serious priority” and said, “Removing accident-prone spots on transportation roads across the country is a top priority, because we cannot afford to see lots of people dying every year in accidents mainly caused by road spots.”
He said the sale of raw material is wrong and has been censured by Leader of the Islamic Revolution several times, adding, “Another important point is to allocate mine ownership rights to provincial development funds. The resources from the sale of the administration’s surplus property will be deposited to these funds so that they will be expended to develop the province.”

The president pointed to some requests made at the meeting to reform administrative divisions, and about cooperatives and certain matters relating to cultural heritage, and said, “Historical districts are [part of] our cultural heritage and identity and should be preserved — specially in this province, which is a symbol of the country’s history, culture, and civilization — but should not lock down people’s lives.”
He said that development came after the preservation of cultural identity everywhere in the country, including in West Azarbaijan Province, and added, “The cultural identity and roots of the province should not be harmed with development. In this regard, everyone, including cultural guards, have extra responsibility. Economic development is certainly a necessity, but along with it, preserving the cultural identity and nature of the province is very important.”

He said, “In addition to the administration’s economic headquarters, a cultural headquarters has been established comprising cultural ministers and officials in order to coordinate and follow up on cultural work and programs in various sectors.”

Raisi said, “I hope that what we said and heard was meant for God’s sake and would further activate all managers so that the ratifications made during this visit will be followed up on. The Friday prayer imams shall also follow up on the condition of their towns based on the information that they obtained, and the respected managers shall feel a stronger responsibility so we will witness something distinct being done.”
The president said, “Cash, budget, and planning are important, but the most important role in success is played by you managers. Don’t say ‘Our predecessors failed, and we are the masters of ‘We can.’’ The path may not be paved in certain directions. But don’t be held back [either].”

Raisi said, “Rest assured that the future is very promising, and things that many say are impossible will be carried out. Today, there is a strong will in the country to remove obstacles and make people feel security, justice, and peace.”