Iran-Tajikistan relations should be further strengthened

Ebrahim Raeisi attended a programme of students and professors at the Tajik National University on Friday afternoon.

Speaking at the university, he said, "Today, a complete set of nanotechnology equipment was donated by Iran to the Tajik National University, and students from Tajikistan will be able to be admitted to Iranian universities."

"Iranian universities in the fields of technology and engineering, medicine and humanities have made great progress in the world and we are ready to share our experiences in this field with Tajikistan and other neighbouring countries," the President added.

The President also thanked the university for being awarded an honorary doctorate and said, "For me, being a student of seminary is superior to any other title."

In another part of his speech, Raeisi said, "Our region is the cradle of science, culture and civilisation", adding, "When we review the history of the region, we come across many names to whom this region owes a lot."

The President went on to say, "The great cultural figures of this region presented religious teachings in the form of art and poetry and therefore it is very important and valuable for researchers to know these figures and their valuable works."

Pointing out that today the culture of our scientific and academic centres is not separate from our Islamic culture, Raeisi said, "When we look at the Asian region, we see that most of the cultural and scientific resources are accumulated here and the great treasure of science and culture and the Abrahamic religions have been introduced to the people in this region."

The President emphasised, "Today, knowledge is the basis of all developments, and there are acceptable and lasting developments that are based on knowledge."

Raeisi said that if science is not accompanied by ethics and commitment, not only will it not solve any problem, but it will itself become a Gordian Knot, adding, "Today, the western societies claim to be the pioneers of science and knowledge, but the question is that has this science and knowledge caused the rights of human beings and the sanctity of the culture of nations to be respected by them?"

"Today, we are witnessing a widespread Western invasion on human rights and the cultural identity of other societies, and wherever there is resistance to their cultural invasion, they seek to change the tastes of that society in order to impose their own culture," the President added.

Raeisi called the university a watchful eye and a centre for monitoring the science, culture and resources of each nation and said, "We must use the experiences of all nations, but we cannot and should not implement the prescribed version of the West for our own problems."

In another part of his speech, the President referred to the priority of relations with neighbours in the foreign policy of the 13th government and stated, "In the new era, developing relations with friendly and neighbouring countries such as Tajikistan is a priority in the Iranian diplomacy."