The following is the full text of the speech delivered on October 16, 2012 by Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution in a meeting with government officials and outstanding personalities of North Khorasan province.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
All praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and peace and greetings be upon our Prophet, the love of our hearts, Ab-al-Qassem al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his immaculate and chosen household.
I am thankful to Allah the Exalted who gave me the opportunity to arrange friendly meetings with different groups of people from this blessed province, meetings which are filled with kindness, sincerity and affection. Today's meeting has been attended by a group of individuals who serve and represent the honorable people of this province. Therefore, this meeting is a very valuable meeting.
The points which were raised by the friends in this meeting were interesting and noteworthy in one way or another and I would like to add a few important points. If all of us pay attention to these points, they might prove beneficial to the future of this province.
The first point is that serving the people is itself a divine blessing. It is a divine gift. Services might be rendered in official organizations, just like the services that are rendered by the officials of this province. Services can also take unofficial forms, just like rendering services in religious, cultural and scientific areas, in the area of appropriate distribution of sources of livelihood among the people and in the area of fulfilling different needs of the people. Therefore, the opportunity to render services is itself a blessing and it is necessary to be thankful for it.
I sincerely believe that serving the people is a source of honor and this is not just a slogan. Our great mystics would advise their students to render services to the people besides engaging in divine remembrance, tawassul and worship. In certain cases, they would prefer serving the people to engaging in worship. Rendering services to the people brings one closer to Allah the exalted. When you do something to benefit a person, it is a righteous deed which brings you closer to God. Doing a good deed for the sake of one single person brings about divine rewards for you both in this world and in the next, let alone rendering services to a group of people, to the people of a city, to the people of county, to the people of a province. Therefore, the important point is that if we find an opportunity to serve the people, we should thank Allah the Exalted. We should consider such opportunities a blessing from God.
Appreciating this blessing means that we should not think that the people are indebted to us for the services we have rendered. This is the most basic requirement. Allah the Exalted has given us the opportunity to render services to the people. This opportunity is a divine blessing and we should be thankful for it. Therefore, if we manage to render services, we should not think that the people are indebted to us. This is one point.
Another point is that when rendering services, there should be no discrimination. In all sectors, the responsibility is to render services to the people. "This person is our friend, that person is a stranger, this person is our enemy, that person has this political or religious orientation." Such things should not play a role. Nobody should be excluded when rendering services and this will affect the actions of those who serve at a large scale, such as those who serve a province or a county. There various types of people in different parts of a county and for this reason, there should be no discrimination and everybody should be considered equal. Our services belong to everybody and we should let everybody benefit from our services.
Another point is the issue of having firm determination when rendering services. As the friends pointed out and according to the reports I have received, this province ranks low in terms of material progress. This is partially due to the fact that this province has been established recently. There might be other reasons as well. The officials of this province should focus their efforts on improving the rank of this province in a particular period of time. For example, they should try to help this province rank among the top ten provinces in the country in terms of progress and achieving important standards. When this is the goal of our efforts, there needs to be intensified effort and labor. Intensified labor does not mean increasing the volume of labor: it is more about increasing the quality of labor than about increasing the volume of labor. It means labor that is accurate, labor that is based on expert opinion, labor that is based on consultation, labor that is continued and persistent, labor that is based on planning so that it does not stop even if the officials in charge are replaced with other officials. They reported that a development plan has been prepared for this province. This is good news. Once there is a plan, then the coming of new officials and managers will not have a great impact on the work that supposed to be done. The important point is that there should be a roadmap.
We said that this province should be among the top ten provinces in the country. Is this achievable? Considering the capacities of this province, this goal is completely achievable. There are very good capacities in this province. One of the important capacities of this province is its manpower. I clearly noticed this in the reports that were presented in the meetings with the youth, students, teachers and professors of this province as well as in other reports. Thankfully, this province enjoys competent manpower. This is the main capacity of this province. Your province also has natural resources and advantages relating to soil, climate, geographical location and other things which might play a role in the progress of a province. Therefore, there are good capacities and it is possible to help this province make progress. It is possible to improve living conditions of the people.
Considering their piety, considering their sincerity, considering their outstanding presence in different arenas, considering the fact that they are living in border areas, considering the fact that they are living in a sensitive geographical location, the people of this province truly deserve our services. The honorable people of this province truly deserve receiving outstanding services and making progress.
The friends who spoke in this meeting stressed a few points. I had the same points in mind and I had written them down to discuss in this meeting. I would like to highlight those points. The account that was presented by the esteemed Governor was a comprehensive account of the activities that are taking place in this province. If so many things are done during a specific period of time, the appearance and the inner aspects of the province will be changed. There is no doubt in this regard. The important point is to follow up and implement these things.
Another important issue is to prioritize particular activities. We should take into account the capacities of the country, budget constraints and the resources that the government can make available to different sectors. We should also pay attention to whether or not projects will produce yields in the short term. Certain projects are beneficial and necessary, but they are not accessible. All these factors play a role in prioritizing activities.
We should pay attention to the priorities. We should continue our work on the basis of the priorities. I believe that one of the priorities is agriculture, a point which was repeatedly mentioned in the statements of the friends who spoke in this meeting. There are good capacities for agriculture in this province. There are also talented people who can help the agriculture of this province make progress. In this meeting, a few people referred to agricultural research and in another meeting certain points were made about a new technique in irrigation, which can prove beneficial in agriculture. There are numerous capacities. There is fertile soil, there is water, there are capacities relating to manpower and the climatic conditions are appropriate. Agriculture and animal husbandry have been the main source of income in this province.
Of course, repeated and long droughts have harmed the agriculture of this province. There is no doubt in this regard. According to the reports I received, one of the things that has harmed the agriculture of this province and has created problems in the way of its progress is that the farms have been divided into small pieces of land. One of the important projects which I have repeatedly stressed is that these farms should be joined to one another in an effort to industrialize and modernize the agriculture of this province through the use of advanced machinery. This is one of the important things that should be done. The agriculture of this province has been harmed by these factors as well as different other factors.
Agriculture should be the first priority. This is not to say that industry should be forgotten. No, this province has certain industries which can contribute to creating employment opportunities only if we pay attention to them. They can generate big profits for this province. However, agriculture should be the first priority. If we manage to revive the agriculture of this province, the issue of unemployment will be resolved and different consequences of unemployment - including residence in substandard areas around big cities, addiction to drugs and other such problems - will be eliminated or their roots will be undermined.
As far as the issue of economy is concerned, there are three main courses of action. One course of action is industrialization of agriculture. We need to industrialize and modernize our agriculture and horticulture. The second course of action is the issue of process industries, refrigeration facilities for storage and other such things. If gardeners of this province had access to process industries, their conditions would be completely different. The same is true if they had access to refrigeration facilities for storage.
By Allah's favor, I will arrange a meeting with our government officials tomorrow. Definitely they are already aware of these things. In the meetings that I arrange with our government officials, they often put forth certain suggestions. By Allah's favor, I will stress these points in that meeting as well. These issues should be discussed in meetings with our government officials. I am saying these things in order to make it clear that this province has good prospects for progress.
In sum, one of the issues is the issue of process industries and another issue is creating the appropriate structures for distribution and commercialization of agricultural products, a point which was also discussed by one of the gentlemen who spoke in this meeting. Commercialization of our agricultural products inside and outside the country should be carried out in a rational and well-managed way. This will contribute to the progress of this province. Therefore, one of the priorities in this province is the issue of agriculture and different aspects of it.
The issue of tourism in this province is another issue, which was reported to me before this trip. It attracted my attention and I studied it carefully. Also, the issue has been raised in the statements of the local government officials and outstanding personalities of this province. This province has a lot of tourist attractions. It has both natural and historical attractions. Normally I do not get the opportunity to visit such attractions, but according to the reports I have received, the castle that is located near Esfarayen is similar to the Bam Citadel, which used to attract tourists from foreign countries. Why does this castle fail to attract tourists? Why has it not been advertized? Why do people know nothing about it? This is while this castle is more accessible than the Bam Citadel. Millions of people travel through this province each year. There are different statistics in this regard: according to one statistic, twenty million pilgrims of Imam Ridha's (a.s.) shrine travel through this province each year and according to another statistic, around fifteen million pilgrims travel through this province each year.
If the necessary facilities are provided for a portion of these pilgrims to stay in this province for only one day, it will have an enormous effect on the conditions of this province. You are not trying to attract visitors to a remote place from different cities and corners of the country. This place is not a remote place. Pilgrims regularly travel through this province. People come and go. The necessary facilities should be created for a portion of these travelers to stay in this city for at least one day and visit different natural attractions of this province. Notice what a big transformation this will cause in business opportunities and in living conditions of the people of this province. Therefore, tourism is another priority.
The issue of research, which was appropriately raised in this meeting, is another priority. Research activities might not produce visible yields in the short term, but its yields are similar to what the Holy Quran describes: "The parable of those who spend their property in the way of Allah is as the parable of a grain growing seven ears (with) a hundred grains in every ear." [The Holy Quran, 2: 261] It is like one single grain that you plant in the ground and it grows seven hundred grains in the end. This is the nature of research. When you do research about modified grains, new agricultural methods or a substance that can be used in industry, agriculture, services and other areas, this brings about a big profit for the country after some time. Definitely, research is another priority. Therefore, there is a lot of work to be done. There are a lot of areas that we should work on. The people of this province are good people and they deserve these efforts and services.
Today our country is in need of labor and efforts. Dear people, honorable officials of different sectors, esteemed outstanding personalities, you should convey this message through words and actions to those who listen to you and to those who work under your charge. Our country is in need of labor. We need to make efforts. We need to work hard. We need to make well-organized efforts, good efforts.
Whenever we feel weak, our sworn enemies become hopeful and motivated, just as whenever we witness an effective movement in the country which encourages people into action and increases their insight, we see that the enemies immediately try to work against that movement. Those who follow political issues and the latest news, those who follow different international events can clearly see this. Whenever an important achievement is made in the country - such as a massive demonstration, a great election, a big scientific and industrial breakthrough or an important and effective measure by the government - they immediately try to overshadow it and create problems in one way or another. Also, whenever we announce that we are weak and tired, we immediately notice that there is a response in the world: the opponents of Islam and the Islamic Republic become hopeful and happy as if they are fully prepared to attack. It is necessary to pay attention to these things. The lesson is that first of all, we should never stop making efforts and second, we should try to strengthen the spirit of hard work and hope who listen to us and take orders from us. This is our responsibility. Any comment that is indicative of despair, tiredness, unhappiness, boredom and discord will definitely work against the interests of the country. It will definitely work against our progress and national dignity.
We are resourceful against the enemies. We have great capabilities. This is not an extravagant claim: it is a fact. The most important proof is that they have been trying to harm us for thirty three years. If we were weak, this tree should have withered and fallen. Why has it become ten times bigger? Why does it bring "forth its fruit at all times, by the leave of its Lord?" [The Holy Quran, 14: 25]
Compared with ten, twenty years ago, our country has made a lot of progress in terms of its scientific, industrial and social position in the world and in terms of the people's spirit. The Islamic Republic has grown far stronger. What does this show? It shows that there is a constructive force in the country which overcomes all the tricks and plots by the enemies and all the problems that they create. This is obvious. Therefore, we are resourceful against the enemies. We have a lot of capabilities. We can destroy these capabilities with our own hand. If we undermine the spirits of the people, if we undermine hope in the country, if we miss the opportunities, if we tell our youth - who are our hope - that the future prospects are bleak, we will weaken ourselves with our own hands. We must avoid doing these things. This is in our own hands. Everybody is responsible in this regard, but our managers and government officials in different sectors have a heavier responsibility to shoulder.
Fortunately, our country has made good progress in its rhetorical confrontation with the domineering and arrogant western powers. Today when our government officials speak during different negotiations and meetings, when they speak through different media outlets, they make well-thought-out, comprehensive, interesting and accurate comments. One of the arenas of confrontation is rhetorical confrontation on an international level. You might and should know that most of the European media are controlled by the Zionists. The Zionists have been trying since years ago and they have managed to control the famous media outlets throughout the world. They change orientations with their reports. It is these media outlets that indirectly tell politicians what to say. This is the important point. Western politicians are wicked themselves, but these reports put ideas into their minds.
This is one of the statements that they commonly make: "We are pressuring Iran in order to force it to return to the negotiating table." Which negotiating table? When did Iran leave negotiations over different global issues? This is a deception, a propaganda trick. They say they are trying to force Iran to return to the negotiating table, but this is just a deception and a propaganda trick. They constantly repeat this in the world. They repeat such comments so many times that I think even western politicians start to confuse them with the truth. This is while the person who chooses this wording and invents such sentences, has other motives. He does not want to force Iran to return to the negotiating table. He wants Iran to surrender to western bullying during negotiations. This is Iran's answer: you are not powerful enough to force a revolutionary, resistant, insightful and aware nation to bow to your demands and greed. The problem of the western political bullies is not that Iran refuses to negotiate about the nuclear issue or other issues. Their problem is that Iran refuses to surrender to their demands. And of course, it is clear that this problem will not be resolved.
The funny thing is that Europeans use the tone from the 19th century, when English ships would come to the Persian Gulf and speaking on the deck of their ships, English commanders would convey their message to the sheikhs of the Persian Gulf, telling Iran what to do and what not to do, and the sheikhs would bow to them like servants and say, "Yes, sir!" Europeans think that it is still the 19th century. The governments that were ruling our country were not competent and proud enough to be able to reflect their identity and the nobility of the Iranian nation in their behavior and interactions. They were vulnerable and easy to influence. Europeans could easily influence them in the area of politics and culture and force them to surrender. Notice that both individuals and nations are physically defeated only when their inner selves have been defeated. Because they were aggressive by nature, they could easily defeat our rulers who were preoccupied with materialistic concerns, rulers who were concerned about their throne, rulers who were after ruling, rulers who were concerned about money, rulers who were only thinking about their properties and their business, rulers who were not after noble values, rulers who were only after fulfilling their worthless human urges. And today the enemies believe that they are faced with the same situation.
Today the issue is the novel idea that the Islamic Republic has introduced to the world, which has made the arrogant powers of the world frantic. Today the arrogant powers of the world are not in a position to address the Islamic Revolution in an aggressive tone. Today the Islamic Revolution has managed to promote its ideas in the world. In spite of all their censorship, in spite of all the pressures they exerted on us, today the ideas of the Islamic Revolution have spread to different parts of the world. The idea of religious democracy, the idea of spiritual and religious rule, the idea of the presence of the people in all arenas, they idea of resistance against the bullying of global powers and powerful global power blocs - today these ideas have spread to different parts of the world. You see that these ideas have gained ground in the world although they may not be associated with Iran, which is not important. We do not insist that Iran's name should be associated with these ideas, but there is nobody in the world who denies the fact that the Islamic Revolution and the resistance of the Iranian nation have had an effect on these events. This is the main issue.
Therefore, we are on the right track. We need to make efforts. We need to work hard. We need to think and act in the right way. We need to stay united. We need to create an atmosphere of hard work, sincerity and spirituality, an atmosphere that is free from hypocrisy and other such things. Today this is the situation that we are faced with. Each of you dear people who work at different levels and have certain responsibilities in different sectors, can play a role. As I said, this is true of both official positions of responsibility which have been precisely defined by the law and of social responsibilities such as the responsibilities of the clergy, intellectuals, professors, scientists and social activists. Everybody can play a role even if he does not have an official position of responsibility. All of us are responsible. I hope Allah the Exalted helps us so that we can fulfill our responsibilities. I entrust all you dear brothers and sisters to God. I hope all of you will benefit from divine blessings.
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings