Greater Domestic Power to Strengthen Country's Negotiators: Leader
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution underlined that the more powerful the country gets domestically, the stronger the position of Iran's negotiators will be.
"The reinforcement of the domestic structure of power, including in the economic sphere, strengthens (Iran's) negotiators at any negotiating table," Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei said Wednesday in a meeting with thousands of workers from across the country.
The Leader further referred to the country's economic problems, stressing that the challenges should be resolved internally through boosting domestic production and that "the key to solving economic problems is not in Lausanne, Geneva and New York but in the country."
Ayatollah Khamenei also said equipment needed by government organs must not be procured from abroad, urging the government to meet its needs through local suppliers if the appliances in demand are produced domestically.
The comments came as Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) continue negotiations to hammer out a lasting accord that would end more than a decade of impasse over Tehran's peaceful nuclear program.
Iran and the sextet in November last year signed an interim deal, known as Geneva Agreement, in the Swiss city of Geneva. The two sides then held several rounds of talks in different places, including New York, to draw up a comprehensive nuclear deal.
On April 2, they reached a framework nuclear agreement after more than a week of intensive negotiations in Lausanne, Switzerland, with both sides committed to push for a final deal until the end of June.
They also held a three-day round of talks in Vienna on April 22-24 and started drafting the text of the long-awaited agreement, which will include the removal of anti-Iran sanctions.
Elsewhere in his speech, Ayatollah Khamenei brushed aside the idea that the "unjust sanctions" can impede "concerted, organized and planned efforts" for boosting domestic production.
The Leader highlighted Iran's incredible progress made in fields like nanotechnology, biotechnology, nuclear technology, military industries and knowledge-based industries, as clear indication that embargos cannot hinder domestic efforts.
Ayatollah Khamenei also reiterated the need for combating corruption decisively, not just in words.
"We need to take action and stop corruption in the true sense of the word," the Leader went on to say.
