Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution met Wednesday afternoon with Sauli Niinisto, the President of Finland. President Rouhani was also present at the meeting.
Speaking at the meeting, His Eminence stated that the phenomenon of terrorism is one of the most painful disasters for humanity. He added: "Terrorism is not only limited to terrorist acts by unofficial groups like ISIS," further describing the massacres – such as the massacre of the people of Yemen – as the worst kind of terrorism, saying: “Confronting terrorism requires serious determination by all those who are influential in the arena of international power. Wise personalities and honorable governments and powers in the world should think and adopt certain measures in order to find a cure for this phenomenon.”
Ayatollah Khamenei stated that the statements and actions of America and some other governments in fighting against terrorism are not serious. He added: “Such governments calculate all matters on the basis of their own interests. Therefore, they are not after uprooting the malady of terrorism neither in Iraq nor in Syria.”
As an example of lack of firm and serious determination in fighting against terrorism, His Eminence referred to the massacre of the people of Yemen and stated: “Terrorism does not only mean terrorist actions by non-official groups. Massacring the people by governments – such as the attack that the Saudis launched on the people who had gathered in a funeral ceremony in Yemen with the result that hundreds of individuals were killed and injured – is the worst kind of terrorism. Although about year and seven months have passed [from the beginning of the Saudi war on Yemen], no serious determination is witnessed in confronting this phenomenon.”
The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution described the position of the Islamic Republic of Iran on resolving the issue of Syria as a rational position, one that is based on supporting the people and the legal government of that country, stressing: “America and some other governments persist in changing the Syrian government. This is while in order to put an end to the war in that country, it should become clear who started the war and what factors fueled the fire of that war.”
Ayatollah Khamenei reiterated that the United Nation’s lack of attention to the issue of aggressor-defender in the war that the regime of Saddam waged against Iran was one of the reasons why that war lasted so long, adding: “Of course, several years after the imposed war ended, the secretary general of the United Nations at the time – who was a conscientious and courageous person – introduced Saddam as the aggressor.”
His Eminence criticized the positions of the current Secretary General of the United Nations and added: “The Secretary General of the United Nations openly announced that because of the dependence of the UN on Saudi money, it is not possible to condemn the massacre of Yemeni children. This indicates the appalling moral condition that exists among international politicians. We hope that the next secretary general of the United Nations can protect the independence that this position requires.”
The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution welcomed the idea of increasing cooperation with the government of Finland, stating: “The signed agreements between the two governments should be put into practice because failure to do this will have a bad reflection in the minds of the people.”
Expressing satisfaction at his meetings in Tehran, Sauli Niinisto said: “Today, four draft agreements were signed in different areas and good steps were taken in the negotiations that the business delegations of Iran and Finland had with one another.”
The President of Finland reiterated: “Without a doubt, these agreements will not be confined to paperwork. We are after tangible results by implementing these agreements. Moreover, the business people of Finland are determined to have serious and efficient cooperation with Iran.”
Referring to the developments of the world in the past ten years and the expansion of terrorism, Niinisto stressed that the world is in a tumultuous situation in the present time, adding: “Terrorism has emerged in new and large dimensions. This has resulted in the homelessness of many individuals. Unfortunately, many children and mothers are killed in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.”
Expressing his agreement with the viewpoints of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution about the issue of terrorism, the Finnish president said: “Governments and the United Nations have not been successful in fighting against terrorism.”
The President of Finland pointed to the position and influence of Iran in the Middle East region and to its important role in fighting against terrorism, stating: “Iran has done its best to uproot terrorism and I am sure that it will continue to do so.”
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