TEHRAN- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Sunday that his administration’s foreign policy is centered on fostering economic diplomacy and closer connections with allies and neighbors.

Speaking at the Iran Expo 2023, Raisi said that “Iran is generally recognized as a country rich with oil and gas. Heavy emphasis on these two sectors has overshadowed other capabilities of the country. The first step in this regard is to introduce the Islamic Republic’s export capabilities and get familiar with those of other countries.”

Therefore, he added, his government plans to raise the level of its economic and commercial engagements with the majority of the nations it has connections with.

The enemy is aware of Iran’s achievements in advanced production and industry, according to Raisi, but Iranian scientists have localized many sciences in the nation today, including those related to nuclear and military technology. 

The president highlighted that the growth and production of Iran are not and will not be based on political negotiations, and he continued, “Political negotiations have a process that will proceed with dignity, and we are also from the position of authority that the Islamic Republic is blessed with the blood of martyrs; We follow the negotiations with dignity and it was the Americans who left the negotiation table.”

“They violated the agreement, but we remained firm on the agreement. They violated their obligations, the Europeans did not fulfil their obligations, but we are proud that the IAEA has announced 15 times that the Islamic Republic has fulfilled its obligations. It was the Americans and the Western countries who violated their side of the agreement and left the negotiation table, but Iran has a logical word and did not leave the negotiation table, and the Europeans themselves acknowledged that Iran’s words are rational,” Raisi added.

Underlining once more that Iran has not and will not link economic and commercial activity to negotiations, President Raisi stated, “Economic and commercial interaction and activity is an area whose work is actively pursued and I urge my colleagues in the ministries and institutions to seriously support economic actors and businesspeople for export.”