BEIJING, Feb 02 (INP): Iranian Ambassador to China Mohammad Keshavarz-Zadeh hosted a reception at the Iranian Embassy in Beijing to celebrate the upcoming 40th national day of Iran.

The event was attended by Shen Yueyue, Vice-Chairperson of the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China, Chen Xiaodong, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, Iran, Pakistan and other countries embassy officials, staff and their families.

Welcoming the guests, the Ambassador thanked Shen Yueyue, Vice-Chairperson of the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China for her valuable presence.

He said, “We gathered here to celebrate the anniversary of the foundation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, while it has been moving forward for 40 years since the beginning of this glorious path.”

The Islamic Revolution, originating from the Iranian uprising against the despotic regime of Shah, with grand Ayatollah Khomeini as its leader, succeeded in overthrowing a dictatorship, which had continued its corrupt ruling thanks to the coup, spearheaded by the United States in 1953 against the legitimate government of Dr Mosadeq.

In this context, he said during the course of nearly 40 years, Iran has been constantly facing with numerous conspiracies and now having managed to overcome big challenges like the failed coup, imposed 8-years war and illegal sanctions, emerges as an influential power and responsible actor in the Western Asia and plays a pivotal role to the region’s stability.

He said that fortunately, in the light of self-confidence and in spite of all the hardships faced through illegal, oppressive and unilateral sanctions imposed on people, the Islamic Republic of Iran has accomplished not only to neutralize them but to seize it as an opportunity for progressing towards improvement of its economy, social services, culture, science and technology.

He pointed out that Iran had a noticeable ranking in science and technology in different fields in the world.

The Iranian Ambassador said that in science production, Iran captured 16th rank in the world in 2017, while holds the first In the Middle East.

As the best rank, in Nanotechnology Iran was the 4th in the world in 2018. In this field, my country is producing 5.81 percent of the science in the world, he added.

According to the Constitution, the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran is based upon the rejection of all forms of domination, both exertion of and submission to it and the preservation of independence of the country in all respects among the others.

Based on these fundamental factors, Iran has been pursuing enhancement of constructive relationships with all independent countries like the People’s Republic of China. Mohammad Keshavarz-Zadeh said as ancient civilizations in Asia, Iran and China have enjoyed a time-honored relationship deeply rooted in our common history. There is no doubt Iran and China have benefited much from each other, he added.

He said in addition to the trade facilitation provided by the ancient Silk Road to the countries along with, a horizon of cultural exchanges and an invaluable angle for touching new set of thoughts and moral values has been opened.

This opportunity has been hailed and built up over the time and today is regarded as an unparalleled advantage which stands strong no matter how much unstable the international environment is.

The Iranian Ambassador said, “Since of the Iran-Sino diplomatic relationship in 1971, we have been witnessing its flourishing nature, featured by mutual respect and shared interests.”

He siad undoubtedly, Iran and China could play more prominent role in boosting economic boom and peace and stability in West Asia, and moreover, the “Belt and Road”, as the marvellous initiative of President Xi Jinping, has also offered a solid basis toward strengthening the bilateral ties.

He said that Sharing common positions in various international and regional hotspot issues, Iran and China have been expanding their cooperation from economic and trade relations to the political and security matters to shape an ever-growing partnership and amity between the two ancient civilizations.

The most highlight of this cooperation was the International negotiations that resulted in 2015 deal on the peaceful nuclear program of Iran known as joint comprehensive plan of action (JCPOA).

Iran decided not to give up its glorious path of technological advancement but proved its readiness and strong will and commitment to get settled this unnecessary crisis through constructive engagement and diplomacy with international community.

He said that honoring the language of respect, taking the win-win approach and upholding the multilateralism especially acting in conformity with rules of the international law namely the Security Council resolutions, were agreed upon as the pillars of the accord.

While Iran’s compliance with the JCPOA have been 13 times confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Agency and/ all the parties concerned/ confessed to this reality, the US administration’s decision to withdraw from the JCPOA has shaken again the world’s faith in this country’s commitment to multilateral diplomacy and revealed that how such an untrustworthy and unreliable party is.

Although, Iran has the legitimate right to quit its commitments under the JCPOA, but responded positively and has stuck to the terms of the deal in order to show its maximum flexibility and true belief in diplomacy rather than confrontation.

To keep this magnificent achievement of diplomacy alive, is totally dependent to remaining parties’ efforts. In this context I would like to welcome the registration of INSTEX (Instrument for Supporting Trade Exchanges), the long overdue first-step by E3 in implementation of their May 2018 commitment to save JCPOA.

He mentioned the Iranian people, having borne all hardships during the course of its history, stand firm and determined. Iranians are peaceful, patient and resistant, and have always offered joining hands to other nations. “We introduced the first human rights charter known as “Cyrus the Great’s charter” to the world and kept living with other religious minorities in peace and happiness,” he added.

He said in this regard and in spite of the unfounded allegations, Iranian religious minorities including Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians are enjoying the rights relating to religious freedom and citizenship.

At the end, he congratulated distinguished Chinese guests, in advance, and wish them a joyful spring festival and a healthy, rich and prosperous year.