TEHRAN- Major General Mohammad Bagheri, the Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces, says only self-reliance can lead to true independence and honor.

The major general made the comments on the sidelines of the national knowledge-based technological exhibition held by the Basij Organization in Tehran on Tuesday. 

“The experiences of the previous 43 years demonstrate that the only way to truly bring independence and honor to the nation is through self-reliance and self-sufficiency, and Thank God, the exhibition shows that Iranians are making significant progress in this direction,” the military chief remarked.

The top general said that several improvements could be seen in the exhibition's various parts and that Basiji has been successful in manufacturing many goods that were imported before. He said these goods are of higher quality with lower cost that also take energy efficiency environment into consideration.

The items produced by the Basij have been used by several government agencies and manufacturers, he said, adding there are still a number of other industries that may make use of them.

The armed forces chief of staff urged all manufacturers and both public and private enterprises to attend the show and sign contracts with the knowledge-based firms, stressing that the Basij Organization and the military forces would support collaboration.

Bagheri emphasized that he will direct the military bodies under his leadership to use the products more than ever in order to foster confidence-building. 

He added, “We use a lot of the equipment and capabilities in the armed forces.”