Raeisi: Bullying powers powerless against independent nations
Iran, Cuba sign several cooperation agreements
Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi said Tehran-Havana cooperation can create hope in independent nations, stressing that bullying powers are powerless against these nations, as he wrapped up a three-nation trip to Latin America.
The Iranian president, who visited Cuba as the last stop on his tour to Latin America, held talks with senior Cuban officials and participated in a trade forum in Havana on Thursday.
During the forum, which was also attended by senior delegations of Iran and Cuba, Raeisi praised the growing cooperation between Tehran and Havana as a source of hope for independent nations and a cause of frustration for global imperialist powers.
He asserted that the United States and other bullying powers are powerless against independent nations. “Our cooperation in the path to progress can create hope in independent nations and despair among imperialists.”
President Raeisi referred to the resistance of the Iranian nation against sanctions and the U.S.’s so-called “maximum pressure” campaign, saying, “Iran considers relations with independent countries as one of the ways to counter sanctions.”
The Iranian president said that activating the Joint Commission of Economic Cooperation can provide faster solutions for implementing the agreements already signed between the two sides.
During the trip, both countries signed six agreements on judicial issues, political cooperation, customs and information technology.
Raeisi said Cuba and Iran would seek to work together in biotechnology, mining, electricity generation and other areas.
“I hope this meeting will help facilitate integration as well as an exchange of ideas and opinions,” Raeisi said.
After the forum, Raeisi and Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel toured biotechnology production plants in the western part of the capital, and then headed to a closed-door reception at Cuba’s Palace of the Revolution.
Diaz-Canel hailed Raeisi’s visit as “meaningful” and a sign of “common values and views” between the two states.
“The three countries that you chose as the destination for your regional trip have a meaningful relationship with the Iranian Revolution. I am confident that your visit to Cuba will be a turning point in the history of relations between the two countries,” he said.
“Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba and Iran are among the countries that have had to heroically confront sanctions (...) threats, blockades and interference by Yankee imperialism and its allies with a tenacious resistance,” Diaz-Canel said.
Heading a high-ranking delegation, Raeisi arrived in Havana on Wednesday evening local time. Earlier, he had visited Venezuela and Nicaragua.
Raeisi also held talks with former Cuban president Raúl Castro.
During the meeting, Raeisi emphasized the importance of solidarity and cooperation among independent countries against imperialist powers, especially in light of recent developments in the international arena and the shift of the world order to a multilateral system.