Ambassador of Iran to Việt Nam, Saleh Adibi, shared a message with Việt Nam News readers to celebrate his country’s National Day and the promising relations between the two countries. 

I would like to extend my congratulations to the great and noble nation of Việt Nam and its Government on the occasion of Tết (Lunar New Year) and wish Vietnamese a year full of happiness and success. Iran has a wonderful civilisation and a brilliant and ancient history. It was one of the first places in which mankind established collective life and built brilliant cities and monuments.

Geographical location plays an important role in the destiny of a country and its people. The importance of a geographical location in terms of geopolitics (regional) or geostrategy (universal) can be effective in the political and economic destiny of a country. Iran is a vast country in south-west Asia with a population of about 80 million and an area of 1,648,195sq.m. It ranks seventeenth in the world in terms of area.  

February 1-11 each year is indelible in the history of our great nation and coincides with the victory of the Islamic revolution. The revolution triumphed with the participation of all strata of society under the leadership of Imam Khomeini on February 11, 1979. This was recognised by a referendum in which 98.2 per cent votes were in favour. Following the revolution, Iran sprung up in all dimensions. I will briefly mention some of the scientific and industrial achievements.

One of the proudest achievements of Iran is rapid growth and an active presence in scientific fields. Progress has been so fast that thousands of patents have been registered. In terms of research, our researchers have been among the world’s top scientists and researchers, elevating Iran to a country with a high position in science.

Achieving the technology and thorough knowledge of the nuclear-fuel cycle — and being among the world’s five top countries in that field — Iran successfully entered into new sciences, such as nanotechnology, laser, micro-electronics, robot manufacturing, hardware development and building supercomputers, developing software and using it in vast applications of computer science — and winning more than 100 medals in scientific Olympics — is another part of the Islamic Revolution’s Achievements. 

An unprecedented increase in the capacity of universities and the numbers of scholars and students has led to a significant increase in doctors. This has eliminated the need to employ foreign doctors, transforming the country into a regional hub of medical tourism. We have acquired knowledge of stem cells and are among the top countries in kidney and heart transplants and treatment of eye diseases. We have also gained valuable experiences in dealing with a variety of effects and diseases caused by chemical agents, being first in pharmaceutical production in the Middle East. Pharmaceutical exports include biotechnology medicine. We are also self-sufficient in producing and exporting vaccines.

Industrial development in Iran has been so fast that in addition to building industrial parks in suburban areas and building manufacturing facilities in rural areas has become a continuous programme. Furthermore, the increase in the number of refineries, complexes for erecting wind, gas and fossil-power plants and the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Bushehr are other examples of development.

The foundation and keyword of the foreign policy of Iran emphasise respect for the dignity of human beings, the realisation of prosperity and well-being of the entire international community in peace, security, freedom, equality, independence, rejection of hegemony and negation of domination. Iran follows important principals, such as independence, freedom and territorial integrity in accordance with a policy of defying foreign interference in national sovereignty and internal affairs, non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries and striving for secure peace and security in the region and the world.

Over the years, we have had excellent and significant ties with Việt Nam. This is evidenced in the development of bilateral relations, including exchanges of presidents, ministers and high ranking officials between the two countries in the last two years. The Supreme Leader of Iran spoke highly of the noble people of Việt Nam, particularly the late leader, Hồ Chí Minh, and General Võ Nguyên Giáp. I see the outlook of the relations between the two countries as bright and promising. 

I would like to extend my congratulations to the people and officials of Việt Nam for Lunar New Year, which has many similarities to Iranian Norouz. I wish a year replete with happiness and success for all. Happy New Year! — VNS