TEHRAN- Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, Leader of the Islamic Revolution, on Monday highlighted the need for economic growth to fight poverty and promote welfare in the society.

“We must have economic growth if we wish to eradicate poverty and raise welfare in the country,” Ayatollah Khamenei said in a meeting with a group of entrepreneurs, manufacturers, and representatives from knowledge-based firms.

“We are obviously facing the issue of people's livelihood and welfare, and these concerns cannot be remedied without economic growth,” Ayatollah Khamenei noted.

The Leader underlined that for the eradication of poverty and the resolution of issues pertaining to people's livelihood and the welfare of families, there must be economic growth.

He emphasized the need for Iran to continue growing economically to maintain its place in the world and the region.

“A nation's economic situation has a significant impact on its development. The economic potential of a country as well as its standing in the globe would all decline if its currency debilitates. We need economic growth to continue to hold our place in the region and the world,” the Leader highlighted.

Referring to the complaints by the entrepreneurs, producers, and knowledge-based companies, Ayatollah Khamenei addressed the first vice president who was present at the meeting and said: “These were not mere reports; they were the reports with complaints; to me, these complaints made here, almost all of them, are right.”

The Leader of the revolution went on to say, “I would like to say something briefly to the honorable officials who are here today, particularly the vice president. Keep in mind the issues that our friends have talked about here. These were not just reports of their activities and achievements. They were reports, but there were also complaints along with the reports. And I believe that almost all of the complaints they made here were true.”

Ayatollah Khamenei pointed out that “everything they said about the expectations people have from the government, officials, and me was right. For everything that our friends discussed here, a committee must be formed.”

“Supervisors must unquestionably be present and utilized in this committee. You may gain from the people who spoke here today, as well as others, and their perspectives must be weighed and pursued,” the Leader stressed.

The Leader also asked the country's executive entities to help growth of private firms.

Given the “seventh development plan”, which seeks economic growth along with justice, the Leader discussed the justifications and prerequisites for economic progress.

“Economic growth is very essential to solving the concrete issues related to people's way of life and the challenges faced by households,” he stressed.

Ayatollah Khamenei expressed appreciation for the passion, hope, and concrete efforts of individuals involved in manufacturing and enterprise.

“As I have mentioned many times before, due to the country's God-given resources, its geographical, international, political location, and notably its workforce, the country's skill and growth ability are very high and extraordinary in specific fields. As a result, the nation's future and possibilities for growth are significantly brighter than present estimates,” he noted.

The Leader said, “The exhibition that I visited two days ago showed that relatively good endeavors have been made in line with this year's slogan” named “knowledge-based production and job creation”.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei stressed the necessity for the rapid, ongoing expansion.

He also discussed the factors that contributed to Iran's economic lag in recent years.

“Iran's economic lag in the preceding decade was mostly due to a number of administrative flaws, problems with sanctions and the country’s emphasis on the nuclear issue, as well as the ensuing conditioning of the economy,” the Leader emphasized.

The Leader listed several reasons why a rapid and sustained economic growth is necessary, including the need to address issues with people's cost of living, the need to guarantee the welfare and comfort of the population, the need to strengthen Iran's position in the regional and global economies, and the need to create jobs for millions of graduates.

Ayatollah Khamenei discussed the conditions necessary to achieve economic growth in another section of his remarks, noting that “raising investment for production” and “growing productivity” are two crucial foundations.

The Leader drew attention to “improvements in knowledge and technology” as another crucial condition of economic progress, urging universities and scientific research institutes to follow the state-of-the-art methods.