TEHRAN – During a meeting with President Ebrahim Raisi and his cabinet members on Wednesday, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution praised the Raisi administration's foreign-policy achievements, including its policy of engaging with neighboring countries.

Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei emphasized the importance of avoiding conflicts with neighboring countries and turning any existing conflicts into collaborations. He also highlighted the significance of Iran's membership in international organizations. “This indicates that the founders of these bodies are willing and sometimes insistent on engaging with Iran. According to their calculations and considering the realities of Iran, they see the need to forge relations with our country,” added the Leader.

A week ago, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on the final day of a BRICS summit that Iran is among the six countries invited to fully join the body as of January of 2024. BRICS, which consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, currently accounts for 40% of the world’s population and a quarter of the global GDP. Iran was also declared as the 9th member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) this year.  

Ayatollah Khamenei also viewed the main objective of Western sanctions as affecting people's livelihoods and holding them hostage. “Negotiations and actions to terminate sanctions are underway, but at the same time, efforts should be made to neutralize the effects of sanctions, with the most important issue being the reduction of inflation,” he asserted.

In another part of his speech, Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized the necessity of taking advantage of communication opportunities with different countries and utilizing them in a timely manner.

Referring to the numerous and long-term cooperation documents between the Iranian government and other countries, the leader deemed it necessary to implement and fulfill these agreements, stating that agreements should not remain only on paper.

In the last two years, Raisi and his team of ministers have signed several cooperation documents in the fields of economy, politics, tourism, culture, etc. with various countries in Asia, Africa and Europe. Some of those countries include Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba, China, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Pakistan. 

Continuing with his speech, the Leader criticized the perception of some politicians that limit interaction with the world and only deem relations with a handful of Western countries worthy. “This perspective is mistaken, regressive, and belongs to 100 years ago when a few European countries dominated the world. Today, we must abandon this outdated and regressive perspective and understand that engaging with the world means connecting with Africa, South America, and Asia, which have vast human and natural resources. Furthermore, the criterion for international relations is national interests and dignity, and in these relations, there should not be a dominant or submissive side”

Ayatollah Khamenei expressed his disappointment that the government's positive actions are being overshadowed by issues related to people's livelihoods, specifically the high cost of housing and rent.

The Leader also advised officials to carefully consider the impact of their economic decisions on factors such as addressing wealth inequality, maintaining market stability, managing exchange rates, and controlling inflation.

Furthermore, Ayatollah Khamenei stated that he has supported administrations with various ideologies for over three decades and, in addition to supporting the current administration, he wanted to commend their efforts.

However, he expressed his concern that the current administration is not effectively communicating their accomplishments to the public.

“What I want to emphasize is that a significant number of macroeconomic indicators show growth and progress,” he added.

The leader asked the Raisi administration to be more mindful of the media and try to efficiently inform the people of Iran of the government’s moves and accomplishments.