Iran Press/Europe: At the beginning of the meeting, Rashid Hasanpour, the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Serbia, welcomed and thanked the guests for their presence and said: "I greatly appreciate the government of Serbia for expressing sympathy in the incident that happened to the late president Seyed Ebrahim Raisi and his companions."
He added that Iranians will always remember the condolences of Serbian President Alexander Vučić and that of a delegation headed by the deputy prime minister in Tehran.
Hasanpour added: "It was a national disaster and a great loss, but due to the huge capacities, our country passed this stage and new elections were held immediately, which shows the stability and cohesion of the country."
The ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Serbia while explaining the election process and the results of the first stage, said: "The country's foreign policy will continue based on fixed principles and priorities, and Iran is committed to defending the movements and the oppressed people of the world which includes confronting Israeli hegemony and militarism in the region."
Amir Pourpezeshk, the cultural advisor of Iran in Serbia, also appreciated the valuable presence of the guests on the occasion of the 40th martyrdom day of the late Iranian President and his companions adding: "The personality and thought of martyred Raisi and the performance of his government can be examined and analyzed from different perspectives, and I would like to mention the issue of active cultural diplomacy as one of the main axes emphasized by the late president."
He added that June 30 was the day of "cultural diplomacy and interaction with the world" in Iran. This day was registered in Iran's official calendar during martyred Raisi's term and is a sign of attention and emphasis on this issue.
Pourpezeshk stated: "The importance of cultural diplomacy increases when the Islamic Republic, in parallel with the existing sanctions, has faced distortion of facts; meanwhile, the active cultural diplomacy of martyred Raisi played an important role in reducing the effect of the distortion of facts and disinformation.
The result of that global sympathy, especially from the public opinion with the Iranian nation on the occasion of the martyrdom of the president, shows that the interaction with the world in his government has been constructive and growing.
Mufti Abdullah Naman, head of the Islamic Society of Serbia, said: "When we look at the history of Iran, we realize that Iran has been independent since the beginning of its history and enjoyed the advanced technologies of its time 2000 years ago, but with the advent of Islam and its presence in Iran, this independence grew stronger."
He added: "We pray for the souls of the late president and his companions in the accident and we ask God that their successors be worthy and faithful people and make their nation proud because those who serve God serve their fellow human beings."
The head of the Islamic community of Serbia stated: "Iran taught all of us the lesson of real independence, by enduring the pressure from the Western powers that have nuclear weapons, it continued to pursue its independence and defined its borders for others by resorting to its own abilities, we should learn from them. How to preserve our national and spiritual values."
In this meeting, several experts presented their opinions including Misha Jurkevich, head of the Institute of European Studies, Mufti Dr. Abdallah Naman, head of the Islamic Society, Professor Ratkoker Semanovich, professor of philosophy and head of the Network of Artists and Intellectuals in Defense of Humanity, Darko Delic, director of the Red Line Association, Muna Yusefspahich is the director of the Women's Activism Group, Professor Borislav Korkudelovich is a political analyst, Slubdan Yankovic is the director of the Middle East and Mediterranean Department of the Institute of International Political and Economic Studies, "Bobana Angelkevich" is a political analyst, Professor Branko Rakic" is the head of the Department of International Law at the University of Belgrade, Liboisha Ristic, the head of the Russian Serbian Association, and Jovan Honda, the vice president of the Family Unity Organization.
