The following is the full text of the speech delivered on October 15, 2012 by Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution in a meeting with the people of Shirvan, North Khorasan province.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Two Worlds, and peace and greetings be upon our Master and Prophet, Ab-al-Qassem al-Mustafa Muhammad, upon his immaculate, pure and chosen household, and upon the infallible and noble guides, especially the one remaining with Allah on earth.
I am thankful to Allah the Exalted who gave me this opportunity to meet you pious, honorable and friendly people of Shirvan. I have good memories of your city and its people. Shirvan is among the regions which have emerged victorious out of difficult tests and it has acquired a good name. Seven of our great commanders were from Shirvan and the surrounding areas. Besides, hundreds of people from this region were martyred or disabled during the Sacred Defense Era. This region built commanders and sent them to manage difficult matters, and these commanders were martyred: in history, such things do not sink into oblivion. And today there are several thousand basijis in this city. There are active religious groups in this city. There are outstanding cultural and athletic personalities in this city. Such things are part of the identity of a region. Our dear youth - both in this city and in other cities of this province - should feel proud of the achievements they have made and they should prepare themselves to make great accomplishments in the future.
One of the outstanding characteristics of this city and this province is that different ethnic groups live together peacefully, and this is clearly visible in Shirvan. Kurds, Azeris, Persians and Tats live together peacefully in a brotherly and Islamic way. By Allah's favor, your children will be able to build other outstanding personalities in the future and offer them to our society. And this is a wish that can be fulfilled.
What I would like to tell you dear brothers and sisters of Shirvan is that thanks to the efforts of our honorable people and the vigilance, awareness and insight of the honorable people of this province as well as other provinces across the country, Iran have achieved enduring political stability. This is a great blessing. One of the methods that used by the domineering and aggressive powers is to create instability in other countries. You can see examples in our region as well as in other regions throughout the world. You see that global powers have tried to spread their domination over every country and every region, wherever it was possible for them to do so. They have tried to create instability wherever they could. They have tried to create discord and conflict in different countries or among neighboring countries in order to make their governments instable and enable their weapons companies, their cartels and their trusts to benefit from the instability they create. They have tried to create instability in order to let large economic enterprises - which dominate the political system of the west - benefit from the situation. Today one of the policies of the arrogant powers is to create instability. In such conditions, thanks to the religious faith of you dear people, thanks to the insight that our nation enjoys, the Islamic Republic has managed to establish a stable country much to the disappointment of the enemies.
The existing stability is sustained by the people and of course, it is the people who benefit most from the stability of the political system of the country. A nation that enjoys security and political stability will have the opportunity to compete with other countries and become a pioneer in different arenas. Peace and security are among the most important demands of the people. It is the people who benefit most from peace and security.
In the Holy Quran, in Sura Fath - which describes victory of the Muslims as a great blessing for the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) and his people - Allah the Exalted says, "Allah sent down His tranquility to His Messenger and to the believers, and made them stick close to the command of self-restraint. And well were they entitled to it and worthy of it." [The Holy Quran, 48: 26] Allah the Exalted describes peace and tranquility as a great blessing for the Islamic society. When a people do not enjoy peace and tranquility, when people are suspicious of each other and aggressive towards one another, when the ruling system and the people are pitched against each other, such a country cannot make progress in science, in economy, in industry and in achieving national dignity. But when there is stability, peace and security in a country, the people of that country will find the opportunity to show their preparedness and utilize their capacities, just as our honorable people and youth have managed to prove themselves in different areas in spite of the enemies' threats, sanctions and wicked actions. Our honorable people and youth have managed to show their greatness, talent and preparedness in different areas. All of these things have been achieved thanks to stability.
On various occasions, our enemies have tried to undermine our political stability in different ways. At the beginning of the Revolution, by creating ethnic conflicts in the east and west and in the north and south, they tried to prevent our country from achieving tranquility and recovering from the turbulence that existed after the Revolution, but they failed. Afterwards, they tried to undermine our security by provoking an insane neighbor to attack our country - Saddam was truly savage, insane and dangerous. They also supported different grouplets that were active inside the country, the same grouplets that eventually took refuge in the countries that were fighting us. You saw that what happened was exactly the opposite of what they wanted. The imposed war not only failed to undermine stability in the country, but it also strengthened our unity.
Notice that the people of this region - the northern part of Khorasan, which is currently called North Khorasan - joined hands to counter the enemy in spite of the fact that they were far away from the front lines. After all, North Khorasan, Shirvan and Bojnourd were far away from the southern and northeastern fronts. Ethnic issues - among Azeris, Persians, Kurds, Turkmens and other ethnic groups - faded into insignificance. The Shia-Sunni issue became insignificant. Everybody united and stood up against the enemy. They sent their youth to the battlefields. In some cases, there were four soldiers from the same family. Their father would tell them, "One of you stay and take care of our family so I can go and fight." Where else can we find example of such competition for self-sacrifice?
The enemy wanted to create turbulence in the country. He wanted to deprive the Iranian nation of stability, peace and security. But Allah the Exalted countered the enemies' tricks: "And they (the unbelievers) planned, and Allah planned, and Allah is the best of planners." [The Holy Quran, 3: 54] Our nation made progress thanks to the Sacred Defense. Our nation became more prepared. This plot by the arrogant enemies and the ferocious wolves proved ineffective against the Iranian nation.
Later on they tried to undermine this stability from within. I will discuss this briefly and I will not get into the details. The enemy's plot was the same both in the year 1378 and in the year 1388. In both cases, their goal was to undermine our political stability. They were trying to create turbulence in the country. They wanted to take this widespread tranquility and this stability away from our people.
We should appreciate the value of this stability and tranquility. Our people already appreciate it. I am addressing those who are not grateful for the stability that exists in our country, those who try to undermine this stability and this tranquility in the country through their activities, through their wrong actions. Of course, our government officials are vigilant. I strongly advise our government officials - in the executive branch, in the legislative branch and in the judiciary, to take care not to let the ill-wishers and enemies undermine this tranquility through their plots. This tranquility in the country is the greatest manifestation of the power of our nation.
A few months from now, we will have an election. Before and during the election, all of our government officials should focus their efforts on preserving political peace in the country. They should not let the political atmosphere of the country become turbulent. This is among the things that government officials should be able to do by relying on their awareness and intelligence.
Of course, our people are truly vigilant and insightful. The people enjoy impeccable vigilance and insight. The people have always considered our national interests from the right perspective. This is what experience shows us. Over the past three decades, the people have carried out their responsibilities in the best possible way. The enemies wanted to push the people away from the arenas where they had to be present, but they failed. They wanted to foment discord among the people, pitch them against one another and make them neglect progress and our national interests, but they failed. The people showed insight. The insight of our people is truly exemplary and this is God's work. Hearts are controlled by God. Wills are controlled by God's Will. Our people are pious. They are aware of the existing realities. I am mainly addressing our government officials, our politicians and our managers. They should take care not to let the enemy undermine the existing stability and tranquility. The enemy has tried to undermine this stability and tranquility, but he has failed. Our government officials, politicians and managers should try to preserve this stability and tranquility. They should not allow turbulence to be created in the country. Sometimes one single comment or action which is careless and out of place can create turbulence in the political atmosphere of the country. They should be very careful.
Of course, our government officials should focus all their time and efforts on the affairs of our people, which is what our people fully deserve. When I take a look at the problems of North Khorasan province - the problems of Bojnourd, Shirvan, Esfarayen and other parts of this province - I realize that there are many things to be done. And this is a responsibility that lies on the shoulders of our government officials. Both the MPs and those who work for the executive branch of government have a responsibility to serve the people.
There are also many things to be done in Shirvan. Of course, I would say that our people should trust their government officials. Government officials want to work. They want to make efforts. Their intentions are good. Today our government officials have every intention of serving the people. Of course, sometimes the orientation is not right and some other times there is a shortage of facilities. Everybody should join hands and try to eliminate the problems that exist in economic, cultural and other areas.
Unemployment is the essential problem in Shirvan, just like in other counties of North Khorasan province as well as other provinces throughout the country. It is necessary to make efforts to create employment opportunities. Another problem is the issue of addiction among the youth of this region and this province. On this trip, I told our youth that I believe they are enthusiastic, determined and steadfast. And this is the truth. The youth of this province are among our pioneering youth both in terms of cultural level and in terms of wisdom and understanding. One can see that there are pioneering youth in this province. It is the brave and pioneering youth of this province who should be in the vanguard of combating the deadly threat of drug addiction. They should stand up and fight. This is a battle that should be fought both by the people and by government officials. I am very optimistic about our youth. I believe that if our honorable youth are determined, they can counter great problems, including the problem of addiction which exists in this province.
Thankfully, our people are vibrant and lively in all parts of the country. Our enemies should know this. Those who wanted to make our people tired, depressed and submissive should pay attention to this movement by the people. They should pay attention to these impressive gatherings. They should pay attention to the enthusiastic movement of this province and other provinces throughout the country. They should pay attention to the presence of the people on the scene. They should see how determined the people are to defend the Islamic Republic. These are lessons for them. They constantly speak about the people of Iran, but apparently those who speak about the people of Iran - including American and non-American leaders - do not believe that you are the people of Iran. When they speak about the people of Iran, they speak about their illusions: they say that the people of Iran are opposed to Islam and the Islamic Republic. The people of Iran are the same people who did what you saw in these great arenas. Over the past few days, the people of Bojnourd, Esfarayen, Shirvan and other parts of this province showed an epic to the people of the world. Of course, their news agencies and their media outlets do not reflect the news and they try to avoid showing the presence of the people, but they themselves know the truth.
Regarding economic matters - which are essential issues and are also the focus of the enemy's efforts - My advice to our honorable government officials is that they should pay attention to three factors in economic development. First of all, it is necessary to adopt a scholarly attitude to the economy, just like all other issues. Second, it is necessary to plan with foresight: it is necessary to avoid hasty and sluggish actions as well as negligence. This is the case with sensitive economic matters and everything else as well. Third, it is necessary to have stable policies. By Allah's favor, our enemies will fail in this economic confrontation with our nation, just as they failed in other areas, if our government officials pay attention to these three factors in economic development. Of course, our government officials pay attention to these factors: there are outstanding scholarly personalities among them, they care about the country and they have foresight.
Thankfully, the people of Iran are present on the scene in a vibrant way. Their presence is accompanied by insight and firm determination. The enemies try to show that the people of Iran are tired, frustrated and hopeless. The people are showing everybody that the enemy is lying, that the enemy's judgments are out of grudge and malice. Of course, unfortunately some people inside the country, who have the facilities to speak to the people, inadvertently say the same things that the enemy wants. Certain people are tired themselves and they say that the people are tired. The people are not tired. The people are present on the scene. They are prepared to work. It is necessary to prepare the ground for the people to step in. Then you will see with what motivation and determination the people will step in whenever they feel there is a responsibility to be fulfilled, just as they have stepped in to fulfill their responsibility today.
I pray to Allah the Exalted to bestow His grace, mercy and blessings on you dear people of Shirvan. I hope that He bestows divine blessings and success on your honorable youth and that every day brings about more happiness and success for you. I pray to Allah the Exalted to associate the immaculate souls of our martyrs and the holy soul of our magnanimous Imam (r.a.) with His saints. I express my sincere gratitude to you dear people for your enthusiastic welcome and your kindness.
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings