You read that right………
Hailing his negotiations with Iranian officials as successful, Niinistö said four memoranda of understanding were signed during the visit. The Finnish head of state gave assurance that the agreements will bear fruit.
[…]
President Niinistö concluded his remarks with reminding the key role of Iran in the region and hailing Tehran’s efforts in fighting terrorism.
Leader raps lack of serious determination to contain terrorism
TEHRAN – Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Wednesday criticized lack of a serious determination to contain terrorism, urging all “who hold sway over international powers” to find a solution to the scourge.
“Fighting terrorism requires serious determination of all of those who hold sway over international powers, and all intellectuals of the world, governments, and honorable powerfuls should think and act to find a solution to this phenomenon,” Leader told visiting Finnish President Sauli Niinistö.
The Leader also rapped opportunistic governments for their cost-benefit approach toward the issue of terrorism, saying, “These governments calculate all issues on the basis of their own interests and are not thinking about uprooting the disease of terrorism whether in Iraq or Syria.”
Ayatollah Khamenei further rejected defining terrorism in terms of links to unofficial circles, highlighting that some governments are committing terrorist acts, as well.
“Terrorism should not be taken to mean terrorist acts committed by unofficial groups only, and the mass killings of people at the hands of certain governments similar to the Saudis’ attack on the people in a mourning procession in Yemen, which left hundreds dead and wounded, are also the worst type of terrorism, and there is still no serious determination to confront such acts after the passing of a year and seven months,” the Leader emphasized.
Referring to Iran’s stance on the Syrian crisis, the Supreme Leader said, “America and some other countries insist that the Syrian government has to change, this is while to end the war, the initiator and agents of warmongering should be introduced.”
The Leader then underscored the importance of implementing agreements signed between Iran and Helsinki over the past months as well as those during the presidential visit, saying, “The memoranda of understanding between the two governments should be implemented, and their non-implementation will leave an improper reflection on the people’s mind.
During the meeting, which was also attended by President Hassan Rouhani, Mr. Niinistö expressed satisfaction over his visit to Tehran.
Hailing his negotiations with Iranian officials as successful, Niinistö said four memoranda of understanding were signed during the visit.
The Finnish head of state gave assurance that the agreements will bear fruit.
He also referred to the developments over the past ten years and the spread of terrorism across the world, saying terrorism has emerged in wider scopes and has displaced hundreds of thousands of human beings, including mothers and children, in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.
President Niinistö concluded his remarks with reminding the key role of Iran in the region and hailing Tehran’s efforts in fighting terrorism.
Iranian agitprop site. H/T: DM
“Iran was one of the first countries to recognise Finland’s independence, and now our countries will further deepen their cooperation,” President Niinistö said, referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreed in July 2015. Sanctions related to Iran’s nuclear programme were lifted in January 2016 and Iran was readmitted to international trade circles.
That was during the time of the Shah…..!!!!!
This is all for the almighty Euro…Finland wants its slice of the Iranian pie, and will fall over backwards, turn reason on its head because the collection of Finnish statists/neo-statist have run its economy into the ground. Looking for anyway to get an injection of cash into its state coffers. Immoral to the bone.
At the page of the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
President Niinistö in Iran: International cooperation necessary to combat terrorism
During his official visit to Tehran on 26 October, President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö met President Hassan Rouhani of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Presidents discussed relations between Finland and Iran, and between Iran and the EU, and the situation in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf.
In the post-meeting press conference, President Niinistö thanked his hosts for the opportunity to visit Iran and pointed out that the two countries had a long history of cooperation.
“Iran was one of the first countries to recognise Finland’s independence, and now our countries will further deepen their cooperation,” President Niinistö said, referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreed in July 2015. Sanctions related to Iran’s nuclear programme were lifted in January 2016 and Iran was readmitted to international trade circles.
“This agreement represents a significant milestone, and I would like to congratulate President Rouhani for his contribution to achieving it,” President Niinistö said.
Following the agreement, Finland and Iran can now enter into closer economic cooperation. Four memoranda of understanding were signed at the meeting between President Niinistö and President Rouhani.
These memoranda of understanding will facilitate trade between the two countries. The signed memoranda cover the energy sector, natural resources and forest management, the ICT sector, and investments and export financing. Kai Mykkänen, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, signed the memoranda as Finland’s representative, except for the memorandum on investments, which was signed by Finnvera’s Executive Vice President Jussi Haarasilta.
Situation in the Middle East under discussion
The presidents discussed many aspects of the situation in the Middle East.
“It was interesting to hear President Rouhani’s views on the situation in the Middle East, terrorism and drug trafficking. We fully agree that international cooperation is necessary to effectively address these issues,” President Niinistö emphasised.
Addressing Finnish press representatives, the President highlighted the importance of Iran to regional development. “Iran plays a major role with respect to the Middle East and its problems in general, particularly regarding Syria. As we have seen, the crisis is not confined to Aleppo, or even Syria, but Yemen too is involved, while battles have been fought in Iraq – this is warfare on a large scale.”
The recent movements of refugees and migrants were also discussed – particularly Iran bearing its share of responsibility for receiving refugees. There are almost three million Afghan refugees in Iran.
“We agree that people should be helped in their countries of origin, to prevent the need to flee,” said President Niinistö.
President Niinistö stated that economic cooperation can provide one way of promoting peace in the Middle East and solving the refugee issue.
Human rights in Iran discussed
The President discussed human rights in Iran, with President Rouhani among others. President Niinistö emphasised the importance of cooperation with respect to human rights. He informed Finnish media representatives that the discussions had proceeded in a positive spirit.
“Here, we have reflected our general line by highlighting respect for people and human rights. We engaged in extensive discussions with President Rouhani and it looks as though Iran will continue talks with the EU. The death penalty will be raised in that dialogue, as it was here today. We also discussed media freedoms. That is important,” said President Niinistö.
Meetings with all political leaders formed part of the visit
President Niinistö also met Iran’s Supreme Leader, Sayyed Ali Khamenei, during the visit. President Rouhani was also present at this meeting, which rounded off the entire visit. In addition, President Niinistö met Speaker of the Parliament of Iran Ali Larijani, the Chairman of the Expediency Council Ali Akbar Hašemi Rafsandžani and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarifi.
The situation in the Middle East, and the current crises and terrorism, were also prominently discussed at the meetings of President Niinistö. With respect to economic issues, the talks covered matters such as problems with money transfers between Iranian and foreign banks.
The President has been accompanied on the visit by a business delegation, which includes representatives of the cleantech, bioeconomy, information technology and health technology sectors. On the first day of the official visit, Tuesday 25 October, a seminar was organised on business cooperation between Iran and Finland.
