His words were the following:
“Your eminences,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Respected leaders of esteemed delegations,
At the beginning, I would like to extend my gratitude to the warm welcome and sincere reception and hospitality of His Excellency, Mr. Li Keqiang, the Premier of the People's Republic of China, the excellent programing of the host country and also, the efforts of Mr. Mezentsev, the respected Secretary-General of SCO for organizing this conference.
Your eminences,
From the date when we joined SCO as an observer state almost ten years ago, the I.R. of Iran has actively participated in every session, when invited, based on its strategic and firm guidelines in foreign policy, which focuses on good neighborliness and development of regional collaborations, and also by positive evaluation of SCO’s perspective for the regional nations.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, in view of the various functions it has defined for itself during the past 14 years in economic, commercial, banking, cultural, political and security sectors, must now double its efforts and utilize its capacities to take firm and practical steps for realization of the designated objectives.
Listing the capacities of the SCO for cooperation in various sectors will just be taking the precious time of our esteemed guests who are themselves quite well informed, therefore it shall suffice to emphasize that any economic growth and prosperity and interaction and cooperation in this field, can only be realized in a safe and secure environment and atmosphere.
We are of the belief that it is the surrounding region of any country which provides for its safety and security; and in an unsafe peripheral environment, no power, no matter how strong, can provide true security, or it will be very difficult to accomplish.
To confront security and political crisis in the region and wipe out such phenomena as terrorism and extremism, which has transformed into a global plague, we have to pursue avenues for cultural and economic growth and development between our governments and nations so that no source or group responsible for that phenomena will be able to misuse beautiful concepts of justice and freedom for misleading and attracting our young generation. Paying attention only to political criteria, because of its very non-objective nature, can hamper the utilization of organizational capacities; and it is right here, that the members of the SCO must come closer to this belief every day, and to be more considerate of regional collaborations, moving forward in a more coordinated pace.
We always kept telling our friends, that we have to agree that the danger of the ‘Takfiri’ ideology in no way limited to a certain country, region, religion or belief, but rather the extremism and brutalism which arises from this rotten phenomenon is neither humane nor Islamic, and is equally threatening the whole world.
Dear Guests,
The Islamic Republic of Iran, based on the same regional necessity, has been announcing its willingness practically for many years, to offer its facilities and capacities in this regard, and has also welcomed any participation from regional countries to cooperate in similar projects.
The foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran has always been based on promoting relations with neighboring and regional nations, something that is also being strongly pursued by Mr. Rouhani’s government; and in addition to bilateral and multilateral cooperation, is highly considerate of participating in and strengthening regional structures, including ECO and SCO, for the very same objectives.
Distinguished Guests,
By the new developments, where the Islamic Republic of Iran has been able to find a permanent solution for the nuclear issue by transforming into an interaction based on wisdom and maturity with the global community, we shall also witness the removal of sanctions against our country.
The cancellation of these incorrect and unjust sanctions, while removing obstacles from increased interaction between Iran and global community, will also bring about a better environment for stronger regional interactions, including with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, especially in the post sanctions period. This organization has brought together a group of countries which have been centers of human civilization for thousands of years, blooming their maturity on the ancient Silk Road as a symbol of cooperation and interaction based on wisdom and culture; and today, based on the same model, we have to shape the relations of Asia and Eurasia regions in such a manner that our nations can live in a safe, secure and peaceful environment, moving toward growth, development and prosperity.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Your eminences,
It is my hope and wish that through the group effort and collaboration of the countries of the region, especially the members of SCO; we shall witness the ever-increasing prosperity and growth of the regional nations, particularly Afghanistan.
At the conclusion, I wish to take the opportunity to thank once again the efforts of the organizing officials of this conference, asking the almighty for ever-increasing success and distinction of all the peoples of the region, especially our dear Chinese people.
Thank you