Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said that his government has put on the agenda the elimination of injustice, discrimination and deprivation faced by Sistan-and-Baluchestan Province, saying that the situation in the southeastern province does not suit its people.
“The current situation in Sistan-and-Baluchestan, despite its numerous capacities, is not befitting of the province as well as its noble, honorable and loyal people”, Pezeshkian said, adding that the elimination of injustice, discrimination and deprivation in the province is among the top priorities of his government.
The president made the remarks on Thursday during a meeting with Shia and Sunni clerics as well as heads of tribes in Sistan-and-Baluchestan, which is the first destination of Pezeshkian’s provincial trips since taking office in late July.
Pezeshkian said that he has come to power to serve the people whom he described as the most important and valuable asset of the Islamic system.
“If we attract people’s satisfaction with our actions and measures, no power will be able to face off our country”, the president said, stressing that problems will be resolved if all people and groups join hands and get united.
Further in his remarks, President Pezeshkian explained that his government’s top foreign policy priority is to expand relations with neighboring and Islamic countries.
He said the government has been pursuing that priority since the very beginning of its term. However, he added, the Zionist regime sought to disrupt the government’s plan by assassinating Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and by intensifying crimes in Gaza and later attacking Lebanon, prompting the Islamic Republic to show a reaction.
President Pezeshkian also said that division among Islamic countries is one of the main reasons behind the continuous Israeli crimes in Gaza and Lebanon.
The root cause of disputes among Muslims is plots hatched by the Zionist regime that aims to prevent Islamic unity, he said, stressing that Muslims should put aside their differences and do not allow their enemies to take advantage of their disputes.
On ties with Europe, the president said that European countries have taken a politicized and hostile behavior toward Iran. “We have repeatedly announced that we are not hostile to any country and are seeking to expand interactions with the world. But we will not give in to bullying. We neither bully anyone nor accept bullying.”
Before the president’s remarks, Mawlana Abdol Hamid Ismaeelzahi, the Sunni Friday prayer leader of the provincial capital Zahedan, made a speech as well.
Abdol Hamid expressed satisfaction with Pezeshkian’s trip to the province and appreciated the president for his justice-based approach on the country’s affairs.
Other Sunni and Shia clerics taking part in the meeting also spoke about the problems faced by their province and expressed their views on them.