Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ali Akbar Nazari, wrote to Việt Nam News on the occasion of Iranian National Day (11/2/1979-11/2/2023)

Forty-four years ago, under the leadership of Imam Khomeini (PBUH), the entire Iranian people with their uprising brought victory to the Islamic Revolution of Iran, and now, under the leadership of Hazrat-e-Ayatollah Khamenei, they continue to follow their sublime goals which manifested in the slogan "Independence, Freedom and Islamic Republic Governance".

Iran, which means Land of Aryans, also called Persia, has a considerable role in the civilisation, culture and science of the human community. The country's role in the maintenance of peace and stability in its region and the world and supplying the energy needs of the international economy is unique and decisive. Iran is a founding member of the UN, OIC, OPEC, ECO and NAM and always acts as an active and responsible member of such international organizations.

During the past 44 years, despite a lot of difficult circumstances and challenges on the way to safeguard the Revolution’s fruits, we were successful to continue the right path to build a country of a developed and modern Islamic society with pride and strong solidarity, and we have made significant achievements including the fourth place in nanotechnology, the fifth place in UAV manufacturing and cyber power, and the ninth country to access space.

In economic and social development, Iran's life expectancy has reached 75 years from 54 years in 1980 (ranking improved from 142th to 63th). National health insurance coverage was expanded for all urban residents and 99 per cent of rural residents.

I.R. of Iran's foreign policy is built on principles of independence, non alignment, non interference in internal affairs of other countries, mutual respect, friendly relations with all countries and the peaceful settlement of internal disputes and conflicts without foreign interference. Iran calls for a world based on peace, equality and justice in the international arena to ensure human dignity.    

The year 2023 witnesses the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Iran and Vietnam. Both countries enjoy a brilliant cultural and independence-seeking history. Over the past 50 years, these relations have been formed on the basis of the three components of respect, development of bilateral relations in the political, economic, and cultural fields, and reciprocal constructive cooperation in multilateralism.

The traditional and friendly relations of the two countries have been expanded, however, development of bilateral relations have lagged behind potential. As the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Việt Nam, I will exert my best efforts to further promote relations in different aspects. To this end, visits of the leaders and high ranking officials of the two countries are of paramount importance.

Over the past two years and more, despite the lingering COVID-19 pandemic and the unpeaceful world, we could manage to arrange a few delegations of much significance. Following my initiative, the Consultative Dialogue Mechanism at the Department level of the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs has been realised.

In December 2022, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly of Việt Nam Lt. Gen. Trần Quang Phương paid an official visit to Iran to further boost parliamentary relations.

So far, there have been nine meetings of the Joint Governmental Committee on Economic Cooperation and seven political consultation sessions between Việt Nam and Iran. In particular, the latest political consultation meeting due to the COVID-19 pandemic was held virtually in 2022.

At international forums, the two countries' friendly relations have been established based on constructive cooperation and mutual support. Iran has always supported Việt Nam's candidacy at international organizations such as the UN Security Council, the UN Human Rights Council, and the UNESCO Executive Council for the 2021-2025 tenure. I hope the constructive cooperation between the two countries in multilateral organisations would continue to be further developed in the future.

The inauguration of the Exhibition on Iranian Art Heritage, the cradle of civilisation, on July 13, 2022 at the Việt Nam Museum of Ethnology. Photo courtesy of the embassy

Returning to the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Iran and Việt Nam in 2023, I would like to mention that since early 2022, our embassy has proposed a series of activities to be held this year. We are looking forward to further support and close coordination with the relevant authorities of Việt Nam for the successful accomplishment of these programmes to help deepen mutual understanding and build stronger support for long-term bilateral relations.

Lastly, on the occasion of the Lunar New Year of Việt Nam, I take this opportunity to extend my warmest congratulations of happiness and prosperity to all our Vietnamese friends and wish ever increasing friendship between Iran and Việt Nam. VNS