On Monday President Raisi said Iran’s focus on ties with neighboring and regional countries facilitated the import of coronavirus vaccines and the country’s permanent membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). In a meeting with a group of families of martyrs, the president stressed that overcoming many challenging tasks would be made possible by tapping into domestic capabilities.

The Iranian chief executive added that during the short time since the inauguration of the 13th government in August, nothing special has happened to have led to an increase in the import of vaccines or the country’s membership in the SCO.

“But our neighboring and friendly countries saw that we no longer focus only on the West and that [improving] relations with neighbors and regional countries has become a priority of Iran’s foreign policy,” Raisi stated.

In the path towards development, he emphasized, Iran sets no limitation to make use of various countries’ experience “but we will be very careful to choose an appropriate version of progress that is in full compliance with the situation of the Islamic Iran.”

So Mr President’s remarks officially unveil the shift in the policies of the country which is unlike the pro-West government of former President Hassan Rouhani’s. Of course this shift of ties and policies does not mean that the Islamic Republic will become a totally pro-East country and to be a lackey of the East. Not at all.

The Islamic Republic of Iran will always remain independent because it is the principle of this establishment but it can cooperate with the East as a powerful and influential country in the region with having an upper hand. Unlike some assumptions that claim cooperation with China and Russia means somewhat a turn towards obeying the East or giving concession to the East for its support from Iran against the West but it is not true. Iran will cooperate with the East and the West as long as its rights are respected and the cooperation is a win-win one.

The Islamic Republic of Iran several times have given the chance to European countries and other countries for mutual cooperation but each time they have been dishonest and have obeyed the U.S. in increasing pressure on the Islamic Republic.

Now Iranians have realized that the Western countries cannot be a reliable partner for trade or cooperation because they are not ready to turn their back to the U.S. excessive demands and to be a friend of rainy days.

The SCO on Friday approved documents for Iran’s full membership at the Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance at its 21st summit in Tajikistan’s capital of Dushanbe. This will be another horizon for the future of cooperation between Iran with another strong regional bloc.

Speaking upon returning from a three-day visit to Tajikistan, where he attended the 21st SCO summit, Raisi said the approval of Iran’s permanent membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a “diplomatic achievement,” calling on the Foreign Ministry and other relevant ministries to take this new opportunity to connect to major Asian economic resources.

The achievements come one after the other in different areas and it has angered the U.S. and its allies and they try to calm down themselves by resorting to different pretexts and claims. The only card in the hands of the Americans is currently the IAEA which dances with the U.S. tunes.

Of course everybody knows it well that Iran is right and the IAEA has no way but to accept Iran’s nuclear rights, and threats and pressures are in vain.

Iran has decided its future and found its way towards victory and by a shift in policy and its partners, it can strengthen its economy and even its military power. Neighboring countries and cooperation with them can be an advantage that the West may envy it and this cooperation can strengthen Iran’s position among the nations and the countries, and it will also boost the economy which is the most important issue for the current government that has inherited a broken government from its pro-West predecessor.

Raisi believes Iran’s presence in the SCO as a member state would create a “strong economic connection” for the country, through which it would be linked to Asia’s sustainable resources ad all should work to take advantage of this opportunity which can bring the pick-up in any field in the country and disappoint its ill-wishers, especially the U.S.

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During this week which kicks off on August 24, the government puts on display some of its achievements and inaugurates or reveals some of its projects and plans but this year and during this week, the government is challenging with getting vote of confidence from Majlis for its ministers and actually it has not been formed yet and Majlis is to vote for ministers today (Wednesday).

Of course, the government has not stopped administering the country but actually is run by the outgoing ministers and officials who will be replaced by the new ministers. President Seyed Ebrahim Raisi in his first commemoration of the Government Week is challenging with pile of problems which he has inherited from his predecessor President Hassan Rouhani’s mismanagements and policies.

Unlike Rouhani, Raisi is a revolutionary president like the second president of the Islamic Republic of Iran martyr Rajaei and the nation expects too much from him in order to bring back justice and economic prosperity for them.

The newly elected president in his first days of presidency and in the office has to sort out some economic problems to bring back calmness to the market which has seen out of control rise in the prices because of the passiveness of the former government and its liberal and West-oriented mindset.

The Government Week is reminiscence of sincerity, perseverance and revolutionary thinking of statesmen who worked hard to serve people of the Islamic Iran and to safeguard sublime values of the Islamic Revolution that people expect Raisi to revive them.

The history of Islamic Iran, which has always been accompanied by the deception of enemies, has shown that unity and amity of government officials, as well as all-out support of the heroic and martyr-fostering nation of Iran, can lead the country towards prosperity, it added.

Now everybody expects Raisi to materialize its presidential campaign vows and to bring justice and equality and to wipe out discrimination. To this end, he should at first focus on economy by taking wise and unhurried decisions especially in this field because people have really suffered from the former government’s economic policies which unleashed the price rise and inflation in the country, as according to recent reports the inflation rate has exceeded 50 percent.

Of course, it is unrealistic to expect his government to resolve all economic problems in the current condition overnight but he can at least slow down the pace of rise of prices and finally stops it.

Now, Mr. Raisi has started his first Government Week by his allegiance to the founder of the Islamic Revolution the late Imam Khomeini (R) and he may open some projects which have started in the past but from next year, the nation would expect him to display the achievements of his own revolutionary government.

He has shown that unlike former President Rouhani, he has good interaction with the people and is eager to have direct contact with the public to know and feel the problems practically something which had been missed during the former government.

The nation wants him to be brave and determined and to run the government like how he did when he was in charge of the Judiciary and once again to bring back joy and trust to the nation which had been lost during the former president or at least in his second term in office.

Rajaei was a committed and popular president with a simple life and Raisi is pursuing his path and trying to strengthen the nation’s bond to the establishment and ideals of the Islamic Revolution and the countdown has begun to see the fruits of this revolutionary government.

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Hossein Alaei, an expert on strategic affairs, has suggested that the new administration of Ebrahim Raisi to devise new strategy for challenges facing the country.

In an interview with the IRNA news agency published on Friday, Alaei said the cabinet makeup and political issues or of great importance to the public and the people show high sensitivity toward it.

The people want those with managerial posts in the government will be able to do reforms and resolve problems and counter challenges, he remarked.

He said the governments have “come and gone” but the problems have remained unresolved.

Now that a new government has come to power it can with the help of its ministers resolve issues which have turned into “macro problems” in the areas of water, drought, environment, unemployment, etc. the expert suggested.

Mahmoud Abbaszadeh, the spokesperson for the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, has said that Amirabdollahian explicated his plans to cope with the existing challenges with a focus on the adoption of active stances in implementing the foreign policies.

He told Tasnim that the Iranian president’s choice for foreign minister that Amirabdollahian attended a meeting of the commission on Saturday evening to talk about his plans in case he wins the lawmakers’ vote of confidence.

According to the lawmaker, the foreign minister-designate gave a detailed report about the current situation, the country’s foreign policy, and the Foreign Ministry’s situation, and also provided a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis of the circumstances.

Explaining his plans to steer Iran through the problems, Amirabdollahian pointed to plans to carry out the foreign policy strategies by creating a balance and turning the previous administration’s passive stances into active ones, the lawmaker added.

He also noted that Amirabdollahian insisted on the fulfillment of the national interests and public demands, and stressed the importance of parliamentary diplomacy in dealing with many challenges.

The National Security and Foreign Policy Commission has a positive view about Amirabdollahian and his plans overall, the lawmaker noted.

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