Iran Press/ Iran News: Speaking in the 9th televised interview and address to the people, Ebrahim Raisi said, "I felt that in the 13th round of presidential elections, an atmosphere of despair had prevailed in the society, and there was an expectation for the social and economic situation to change".
In that situation, it was believed that participation in the elections would be less than estimates, so I felt responsible for increasing people's participation in the elections, he said, adding, "At that time, the situation was such that not only people's, but also some officials and authorities said that the situation was even worse than the [Iran-Iraq] war".
Raisi also said that although the situation was the result of the hostility of enemies, the performance of the then administration had also effects on putting people in that situation, adding, "I felt that if I didn't participate in the elections to create hope in people's hearts and make attempts for increasing people's participation, I would have acted against my duty and responsibility".
Stating that I tried to get some candidates whose qualifications were not accepted to participate in the elections, the President said, "Of course, they themselves said that based on the polls, if our qualifications are accepted, it is obvious who the winner will be, but their presence could increase people's participation, so they themselves witnessed that I followed up the issue through the Guardian Council".
Referring to the announced policy of the Popular Administration to strengthen neighborly relations, the President said, "The key to the country's foreign relations was the result of the Popular Administration's approach to balanced relations with the entire world. This approach caused us to be informed in the first days of the administration's work that other members of the Shanghai Organisation have agreed to Iran's request for membership in this organization after about 17 years".
He said, "The important issue was that what should have happened in practice and the field had not happened until, for example, 17 years that Iran's request to become a member of the SCO was approved".
In response to the question of what happened that the SCO members agreed to Iran's membership, Raisi said, "They felt that the view of the 13th Administration was not limited to just a few countries and their frowns and smiles and that we followed a balanced view and approach towards relations with the west and the east, and that we are after serious cooperation with all countries, therefore, they sent a message that your request has been agreed with".
"The situation was the same for importing vaccines; they did not say that they did not want to import vaccines, but they officially said that unless the FATF issue is resolved and we reach an agreement on the nuclear issue, vaccines cannot be imported," he said.
Stating that we never left the negotiation table, the President said, "The difference in our work was that, contrary to some who repeatedly made the import of vaccines dependent on accepting a series of obligations in other contracts, we did not do this".
Raisi noted, "It was not the right view to want to make even Iran's membership in a regional organization that connects us to the economic infrastructures of the region dependent on other agreements. I'm not saying that they did not want this membership to happen, but their view and calculation were incorrect and this calculation had caused the country's delay and production stagnation".
He stressed, "It was a wrong view and calculation to think that some people should make a decision and reach an agreement in order to solve the country's problems. We do not have this view and based on the policy of honor, wisdom, and expediency and with dignified diplomacy and not a begging diplomacy, we did not depend on the will and decision of others to solve the country's problems and make people's work and life prosperous".
Raisi said that Tehran has never left the negotiating table as it does not have any problems with talks in the international arena.
"Our negotiators explained their demands in the negotiations and the European Union also regarded Iran's demands as rational and this coincided with unrest in Iran. They tried to proceed with their issues in the wake of the unrest, but their messages today show that they are repentant," President Raisi said in a televised interview broadcast on IRIB.
The Iranian president reiterated that Iran has never left the negotiating table and it has no problem with engaging in talks, and said, "But we do not merely follow up the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) like what the former government did."
President Raisi, however, said that the JCPOA is on his government's agenda and the country is also pursuing the lifting of sanctions, but what is most important of all is that the country should become so strong that it will nullify the effects of sanctions.
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