Rouhani: No progress if a country builds walls around itself
President Hassan Rouhani said that any country which puts up walls around itself will not progress. “Any country that puts up a wall around itself would definitely make no progress. We must be able to form close relations with intellectuals and scientists from different countries,” said President Rouhani, addressing managers of knowledge-based enterprises and start-ups on Saturday.
“Through attracting specialists from around the world, the US made progress at a time when it had not built a wall around itself,” Rouhani said.
He said that the US progress is due to the presence of people from different countries, stressing that they reached the edges of science when they had no wall.
However, president Rouhani pointed out to the US decision to build a wall along the Mexico border, saying that the US president has forgotten that his country made progress without such walls. Referring to sanctions imposed by the US on Iran, Rouhani said, “Some governments think that sanctions are a way to reduce the pace of development in a country but, on the contrary, this issue generates motivation in us to produce the parts we used to import,” said the president.
The president described working towards self-sufficiency as a practical fight against imperialism, adding, “Sanctions are aimed at reducing the growth of technology in our country.”
He said technological advancement can help the country counter pressure by Western governments, urging the knowledge-based companies to focus on solutions for countering financial sanctions against Iran.
The Iranian president also pledged that his government would make greater efforts in supporting knowledge-based companies, saying the government would form stronger bonds with the firms and help them export their products.
Knowledge-based companies are making great contributions to the country’s progress, as they are helping Iran save currency reserves and attain self-sufficiency in many fields, he said.