Message by H.E. Mohammed Nabi Hassani-Pour Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Ladies and gentleman
I take immense pleasure in extending my heartfelt greetings on the occasion of the 33rd Anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution and the National Day of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the kind, friendly people of this beautiful island nation - Sri Lanka .
It is noteworthy that this important event in our calendar closely coincides with the National Day of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and the Unity Week which is observed to commemorate the birth anniversary of the holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW). 'Arya' was the first clan that arrived in Fars and ' Iran ' and ' Persia ' got their names from the Aryan race and Persia from Pars. Iran has a rich history which is over 2500 years old and is widely regarded as the cradle of world civilization. Like Sri Lanka , Iran has an ancient culture abundant in spir- itual values and Iranians greatly value friendship with people of other cultures.
During its long history, Iran has had many kingdoms governing the country. It was during the Sasanian dynasty that the people of Iran embraced Islam and this dynasty saw Islamic civilisation flourish. With the Ghajar dynasty, the influence of foreigners increased, and after it, the Kingdom of Pahlavi was imposed on the people of Iran by the West. During this period, the country saw the emergence of a government allied with the West and the masses deeply resented having foreigners dictate terms to them.
Angered by foreign domination, they started protesting and the oil companies controlled by Britain were nationalised. The Prime Minister took over the reins of power in the country and the Shah fled to Italy . In 1954, the West covertly brought the king back to power and the Western powers regained control of Iran .
This dominance of the West sparked a series of protests among the people and with the return of Imam Khomeini, the king was forced to flee the country and the Islamic Revolution with the slogan of independence, freedom and Islamic Republic succeeded. The revolution was for freedom against all forms of oppression, injustice, violence, inequality and apartheid. The opposition tried to control the voice of this revolution as the revolution started blossoming.
A war hastily started against the revolution cost around hundred thousand martyrs and the enemy was given every encouragement including the supply of chemical weapons and super etendard planes by the West to be used against Iran . But under the leadership of Imam Khomeini and with the people's courageous resistance, Saddam Hussein was defeated and forced back to the border.
Despite the end of the eight year war, the West continued to harass the Islamic Republic of Iran. They imposed various types of sanctions and tried to inflict as much harm as possible on Iran . With the leadership of Imam Khomeini and the tremendous resolve of the people, the problems were overcome and an economic growth of 6% to 8% was registered, and Iran became the first Muslim country to send satellites to space .In 2006, Iran achieved the distinction of producing the Middle East's first cloned animal and Iranian scientists continue to make many significant contributions to global advancements in science and technology.
Iran has attained progress in all areas of science and technology, and our atomic energy programmes are intended purely for peaceful purposes. Today, Iran is one of the strong, emerging powers in the region. But Western forces are averse to Iranian independence and are persistently trying to convert the Islamic Republic of Iran into a secular state. Various accusations are being levelled against us - but they are all politically motivated and aim to make us subservient to them. I wish to reiterate that according to Islamic principles, Iran cannot produce atomic weapons. All our successes in the military arena were solely to safeguard the country from outside aggression during the 33 years since the Islamic Revolution.
We strongly believe in living peacefully with our neighbouring countries with love, friendship and mutual respect. Our good relations with our neighbours - numbering more than 12 - are a testimony to our peaceful coexistence with all countries and the people of the world.
The West must refrain from plunging the world economy into deeper crises with their unilateral actions. It is the responsibility of the intellectuals, the world over, to work towards the creation of a new and better future for all, in which no culture or race will try to dominate and all cultures will be respected, not threatened.
There is an urgent need for dialogue and mature democratic behaviour so that there will be goodwill and understanding. This is essential if we are to move forward towards love, friendship, peace and humanity.
As a diplomat I call upon Western intellectuals to consider the matter reasonably and logically and treat developing countries with respect.
Smaller states should have a say at international fora as this will certainly contribute to world peace, security and prosperity. Moreover, countries should work to reduce their military expenditure and thereby stamp out unproductive arms races. Curbing military expenditure will undoubtedly yield positive benefits for all of humanity.
I take this opportunity to wish all the very best to the wonderful and friendly people of Sir Lanka under the visionary leadership of His Excellency President Mahinda Rajapaksa, and his team of Ministers .we Iranians also share the warm and friendly attributes of Sri Lankan.
Today, the bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and Iran are excellent and we are working closely together to support each other. There are many opportunities particularly in the fields of tea, oil, agriculture, tourism, science, technology, fisheries, shipping, and aviation that we must continue to explore for the mutual benefit and well-being of both our nations. Thank you. A model of Islamic development Islamic republic of Iran is a paradigm for any country who wants to govern the country with its own religion or belief and show that you can develop your own country by its own culture and model and it's a region democracy which going well with self reliance, just, equitable, independent, balanced and sustainable type of development