Iran Press/Iran News: "Social Distancing scheme is only for dealing with the Coronavirus, and the relations and cooperation between the private sector and the government must become closer and smarter," President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday.
Speaking in a meeting with private sector business executives, president Rouhani said: "With closer relations among banks, the private sector, and the stock market, we can create a great development in the economy."
Parts of President Hassan Rouhani's speech is as follows:
In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
The holy month of Ramadan, the month in which we are all invited to the feast of God, as soon as we believe that we are all guests of God this month, this is the highest hope, joy, and spirit for all of us.
Problems come and go in life; this year we have almost such conditions and we have been under pressure from several sides; a country that is facing the Coronavirus with its effects on the society in the entire world.
No scientist, economist, or medical scientist had predicted this in the past decades when we suddenly encounter a tiny, hidden creature called Coronavirus, which changes everything in life.
Many complaints are due to the fact that the Coronavirus has disrupted the lifestyle and created a gap among people, whether in an entertainment or art center or in economic activities.
Of course, we have fewer problems on the one side and more problems on the other, because we are under sanctions and cannot take loans and trade with the world easily.
The whole world is dealing with the Coronavirus now, and we are struggling with both the sanctions and the Coronavirus. Of course, with the current situation of oil prices and economic issues that we are witnessing now, all countries in the region, those that exported oil, have faced a lot of problems.
Of course, we have now suffered losses a little less than others with the price of oil reduced, and we are facing many problems now.
The situation on the world stage is a great and historic test for governments on how to run the economy and ensure the health of their people.
You can easily compare. It's not too hard for you; the figures here have contact with many traders and people in other countries; they see what the hardships are; there is a huge difference between a country that charges its COVID-19 patients a thousand dollars a night and in another country 4,000 dollars, with a country where a person is treated for free.
There is a heavy burden on the government's shoulders. The implementation of the Healthcare Reform Plan in the past years has played an important role in managing and combating the Coronavirus in the country today.
On the other hand, we can provide special ICU beds and medical equipment. That means COVID-19 patients do not wait for a hospital bed, and it is a great honor for the country.
It is a great thing that we have been able to produce ventilation systems and ventilators now, produce and supply the N95 masks and cleaning products we need; this has been done by knowledge companies and the private sector.
Everybody cooperated. In my opinion, our country has been a successful country in this regard; our people were successful people; that is, we all came to the stage. The government, the private sector, the non-governmental public sector, the armed forces, knowledge-based companies and, most importantly, our medical staff as much as they did; the medical staff made great sacrifices; It wasn't like that at first.
On the first day, some of these nurses and doctors, because they were not 100% ready, entered the scene in danger and took risks, sacrificing their health and lives.
Anyway, the Deputy Minister for Science and Technology said at the Cabinet session that we will be able to export serological kits in the near future and produce more than we need domestically.
If so, it is clear that we have a high potential and can even be a major exporter. Now we need it in another area and we have to meet our needs.
Today, when we were deciding for tomorrow's meeting of the National Task Force for Fighting Coronavirus to make masks obligatory in some cases, the Deputy Minister of Industry, who was in the meeting, asked the permission from Minister of Health for releasing 18 million masks, and the health minister said we don't need them.
Today, we need a surge in production with regard to current market demand. That means, what we used to produce yesterday might have had demand, but in today's situation it might not have demands, therefore we need to change our product line and don't leave it idle.
Let's assume the worst that we have to live with the Coronavirus for months because we don't know if it is going to end in 2 or 3 months. Our businesses must be planned based on a worst-case scenario about the Coronavirus presence
We have to consider the long term for now, and because we have to consider this long term, we need to regulate and organize our business based on that.
When the industry in the world is interrupted, it can't help but affect steel, copper, and aluminum. All of this is based on being active in industries.
Here in the presence of the Minister of Economy, the Governor of the Central Bank, the Vice President for Economic Affairs, I would like to say that our banks should think about the issue. In my opinion, if a producer can repay what he borrows within a year, it means that he either has to go for medium or small production units. Or if the production is large, he has to go and complete it, and if he has a project, he has to go and complete it.
The relationship between the private sector and the government is still not enough, and I think our problems stem from this.
Social Distancing scheme is only for dealing with the Coronavirus, and the relations and cooperation between the private sector and the government must become closer and smarter
With closer relations among banks, the private sector and the stock market, we can create a great development in the economy
Another point I want to emphasize is the issue of telecommuting, as mentioned. For example, if a private company needs 10 people, it says that I am ready to hire 15 people, but 8 of them can do telecommuting.
So before the Coronavirus, there were some developments before us, now these developments are more in this situation. I think it's true, we have a difficult time this year. The whole world is in a difficult situation, but we have to work on Coronavirus wisely and without apprehension. Of course, we have to follow the protocols.
Great work is done in Iran in fighting the Coronavirus. If we plan sincerely with all our intellectual capacity and prudence, we will overcome this problem well, and even the current situation can create a new opening in our lives. 101/207
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