TEHRAN — Chief of the Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri on Monday hailed the Army Ground Force for guarding national borders firmly and powerfully.

“The Army Ground Force has a heavy responsibility in defending the country’s borders and territorial integrity … and is fulfilling the responsibility with confidence, calm and firmness,” Major General Baqeri said during the opening ceremony of a water project implemented by the Army in Helmand, a town in the southeastern province of Sistan-Balouchestan.

He also hailed the ground force’s efforts to serve the people in the region, especially in reducing poverty and helping the residents in the fight against the coronavirus.

The commander added a hospital in the nearby city of Zabol will be equipped by the Army to make it ready to better serve the locals.

The armed forces consider it a duty to help the people wherever and whenever there is a need, the military chief remarked.

The top general added that the issue of the country's water rights originating from Afghanistan is being pursued by the officials round the clock, and there are frequent visits, and hopefully it will be resolved as soon as possible.