By Sadeq Dehqan

Nazia Barani is an Iranian translator and a professor at the Faculty of Linguistics at the University of Salamanca in Spain, and head of its Iranian Studies Center.
She has taken fruitful steps in the development of Persian language in Spain and prompted many people to learn about the rich Persian literature.
Barani’s interest in Iran and her mother tongue led her to obtain the approval of officials of the University of Salamanca for the establishment of the Iranian Studies Center. For the first time, Persian is offered as a second language in addition to elective courses.
“Teaching Persian language has been met with a great response from Spaniards in recent years and every year more students enroll in Persian language classes held in the country,” she said in an exclusive interview with Iran Daily.

IRAN DAILY: First of all, please tell us about yourself and the responsibilities you have in Spain.

Nazia Barani: I am the professor of Persian language and culture, head of the Iranian Studies Center at the University of Salamanca, the official representative of the university’s international department in all countries. I am also a translator and the head of the Spanish Desk of the Art News Press, member of the Society of Psychologists in Salamanca, founding member of the Iranology Society in Spain and member of the Center for Philosophy and Literature Experts in Valladolid.
My areas of expertise are Persian language and literature, Iranology, applied linguistics and corpus linguistics.

What made you get involved in translation activities especially from Spanish language?
I was always interested in learning different languages. Encouraged by a few friends, I chose to study Spanish language at the university.
I did various works in this field, for example, I translated two TV series named ‘Don Quixote’ and ‘Man and the Sea’. I also translated the Celia Stories from Spanish to Persian. I was a professor at Allameh Tabatabai University and Islamic Azad University and one of the founding members of the Spanish Language Department at the Kish Institute of Science and Technology.

Why did you go to Spain and how did you introduce Iran and Persian language?
I went to Salamanca to continue my studies, because at that time in Iran, it was possible to study Spanish language only at bachelor degree level.
After receiving my master’s degree, I obtained Ph.D. and then I participated in various teacher-training courses in Salamanca and the Cervantes Institute of Madrid.
I tried to provide more information about Persian language to students and enthusiasts by holding international seminars at the university, organizing annual events to introduce Iranian cinema and creating databases about Persian culture and literature in various software and social networks such as Diarium and Facebook. My Facebook page called Persa en Salamanca has more than 2,000 followers in Spain.
I have been cooperating with Radio USAL of Salamanca for almost a year. On special occasions such as commemoration days of great Persian poets and writers including Hafez, Khayyam, Ferdowsi and Sa’di or special national celebrations such as Norouz, I produce some programs which are received very well by the Spanish-speaking listeners.

When did you start your career as a Persian language professor?
I started teaching Persian at the Faculty of Linguistics of the University of Salamanca in 2007. At first, Persian language was taught as a general and optional course, but with a lot of efforts, we managed to offer it as a second foreign language and a unit of study in various graduate and postgraduate courses.
Persian language is presently offered as a two-year course at various levels at the university. On the other hand, since 2017, another course called “Iranian Thought and Culture” is offered at the university, which helped attract the attention of Spanish students to the Iranian language and culture. It is worth mentioning that the University of Salamanca is the only Spanish academic center that offers Persian language to students both as a general course and a second foreign language.
Please tell us more about the University of Salamanca and activities taken in the university for teaching Persian and Iranian languages.
The University of Salamanca is an 800-year-old public university that is currently one of the best and most famous academic centers of Europe.
The university has 26 faculties and 13 research centers. The Faculty of Linguistics also teaches more than 20 different languages, including Persian. Unfortunately, there is no Persian language chair in any of the Spanish universities. Also, no Iranology department exists in the Spanish universities, but the Iranian Studies Center has been operating at the Faculty of Linguistics since 2018.
It is a good place to carry out various scientific, research and cultural activities for introducing Iran to Spaniards.

How are your scientific, research and cultural activities organized?
We have been holding various events such as international seminars, poetry nights and courses introducing Iranian films at the university for many years. They have been very well received and the participants called for the continuation of such activities.
I was the manager of numerous innovative, scientific and research projects, including those entitled “The Role of Women in Iranian Cinema” and “Cinema, Especially Iranian Cinema”. They were selected among a large number of projects submitted to the university from all Salamanca faculties, and therefore they are very important.
I am currently in charge of a new research project called “Word Therapy Through Omar Khayyam’s Poems”. Given that a limited number of resources are available to non-Persian speakers about Iranology and Persian language, I have created a site in both Persian and Spanish languages in Diarium.

Please tell us about the situation of the Persian language in Spain. How familiar are Spanish people with our language?
Most Spaniards do not know Persian language and Iran well. Although fruitful steps have been taken in recent years to introduce the Iranian language and culture in Spain, more programs should be drawn up in this respect.
Most of those who choose Persian language, whether as general or optional courses or a second foreign language, have no information about it and learn Persian alphabet first, but they can gradually advance to higher levels.

Are there any similarities between Persian and Spanish languages and do they have common words?
Yes . Persian and Spanish languages are rooted from Indo-European languages and a number of words have been exchanged between them, including bazaar, shawl and jasmine which entered from Persian language into Spanish.

Explain about translations of the books written by famous Iranian authors into Spanish. Were these translations in a way that befit the names of the greats of Persian poetry and literature?
Unfortunately, the prominent works of famous Iranian literary figures have not been translated from Persian to Spanish directly. The existing ones, translated from other languages such as English, German and French to Spanish, are of low quality.
For example, poems by our great poets such as Hafez, Sa’di and Ferdowsi were translated into Spanish from other languages. Translators have conveyed the meanings of the poems in some of them, but many words were added to them which are not found in the original text at all. On the other hand, power and elegance of Persian poetry are not seen in most of these translations.

In which parts of Spain is Persian language taught and how many students are learning the language?
Persian language is currently taught at various levels in Alicante, Barcelona, Madrid and Salamanca, as well Iranian Cultural Consulate in Madrid. Persian language courses were previously offered in Vigo, which was stopped after the coronavirus outbreak.
In recent years, Spaniards have become more interested in learning Persian. About 125 people in Spain are learning Persian language, 60 of whom are students of the University of Salamanca.
Forty-two students were studying Persian language at the University of Salamanca last year, but the number rose to 60 in the current year. Also 28 students were studying Iranian culture and thought last year, while 35 students have registered for it, so far, and given the time left until the beginning of the course, the number may grow.

How are students attracted to learn Persian language at university?
Students can usually get the necessary information about all courses by visiting the university’s website. However, based on the feedbacks I have from the questionnaires that I provide to students at the beginning of each semester, I found that most of them are encouraged by students of previous years who passed the course and expressed their satisfaction.

What are the sources of Persian language and Iranology studies in Spanish language?
Few sources are available to Spanish-speaking people. Unfortunately, some of the books were written for non-Persian speakers by the professors who do not have the experience of teaching this language outside of Iran. They are not familiar with the culture, problems and needs of the language learners. They may not have much knowledge of applied linguistics.
My book “Persian Language and Iranian Culture” was published by Salamanca University Press in 206 pages in 2021. I finished compiling this book a few years ago, but the process of evaluating and approving it by the university required more time. Due to my many years of experience in teaching Spanish and Persian languages, I considered the needs of my students.
In addition to strengthening language skills such as accuracy, recognition and use, special attention was paid to introducing social, cultural, religious, historical, literary and tourist features of Iran. Because no one can learn a language without knowing its culture, literature, history and art.

What should be done to spread the Persian language in Spain and attract more students to learn it?
We should take more effective steps to introduce Persian language, culture and civilization and create interests in Spaniards. We require the full cooperation and support of related authorities.
Holding cultural events and poetry nights, introducing Iranian films, music, Norouz celebrations and Yalda Night, organizing conferences to commemorate the most prominent Iranian literary figures including Sa’di, Hafez, Ferdowsi and Khayyam, preparing books and brochures on the related subjects and translating the works of well-known Iranian writers and poets into Spanish are among the measures which should be undertaken in this respect.
Establishing of Persian language and Iranology departments, awarding scholarships to students, writing books on Persian language and Iranology to be used as the reliable resources are among the things that need to be done.

What has been done by the two countries to boost their relations?
Fortunately, many measures have been carried out in recent years to improve scientific and cultural relations between Iran and Spain. For example, we signed a cooperation agreement with the University of Tehran in 2017. It helped 30 students to go to Salamanca University for a short language course — a great experience that can continue.



 

By Mohammad Memarian*

Humans have been thinking about death since time immemorial because it seems to be the most concrete fact of life. Moreover, many of our current intellectual engagements with it have had parallels throughout history because it seems to be the most consistent fact of life. However, new angles for looking at it have always been found and advanced, especially in times when death, in one global move, reminds us all of its omnipresence.
“Covid-19 made us recognize that death can happen at any time to anyone,” said Corey Anton, professor of communication studies at Grand Valley State University, in an exclusive talk with Iran Daily. He is the author of a thought provoking book, ‘How Non-being Haunts Being: On Possibilities, Morality, and Death Acceptance’, published by Fairleigh Dickinson University Press in 2020, in which he draws upon ideas of many notable thinkers to formulate a vision of good life under the inescapable shadow of death. In our short exchange which covered a range of subjects from vampires to communicational roots of transcendence, he seemed to be most concerned with the question that how we can “become adequately thankful for all that we have experienced” during our life.

*Mohammad Memarian is a staff writer at Iran Daily.

What’s so urgent about talking about death? Why does it seem that death-awareness is on the rise, globally?
I think it is mainly because of the pandemic. COVID-19 brings a kind of pervasive mortality salience to everyone. COVID-19 serves as a loud knell heard by all of those people, ever growing in numbers in the modern western world, who otherwise have been able to hide from death or at least allow its toll to seem so distant as to be inaudible. Having to deal with COVID-19 has not only forced upon people the fact that death will happen eventually, but it carries along a deeper recognition as well: Death can happen at any time to anyone.

One might expect that such a book be written by a professor of philosophy, psychology, theology, or even history. Why would a professor of communication write about the interaction of being and non-being? Is there a significant communicational side to death discourse?
Well, I’m not sure how to respond as there is much to say. First, I myself have various degrees, including a degree in psychology, and my PhD was half in communication theory and half in continental philosophy. That said, as death affects all people, anyone and everyone should have spent some time thinking about it. Many different scholars from countless different fields have written about it, and I have tried to learn as much as I could from many of them. If there is something unique about the view that I am bringing, I think it is the fact that I am not an atheist and do not really understand atheism, but I do not believe in life after death. However, I don’t think that accepting death as the end point of life automatically amounts to atheism or nihilism. In fact, I strongly beg to differ: Life, especially as it includes death awareness, is the miracle; it is the “good news” and it itself is cause for unrelenting gratitude.
    Moving more directly to your question, I think that both communication studies and communication theory have a unique vantage into death acceptance, as any serious study of communication quickly reveals the kinds of transcendence that communication and language afford. It’s that sense of transcendence, the one that comes from communication, which is the original taste of timelessness that people have in their mouths when they think and speak of a life beyond this one. Think of it this way: If I place a banana on the counter, it will age, turn brown, then black, and soon be inedible, but the word “banana” does not age in any of these ways. Likewise, a banana can be shared with a person or two, maybe three, but the word “banana” is not divided if more readers come to read it. If I say, “There is a banana shortage,” that could be a fact of the matter, but if I were to say, “Don’t use the word, ‘banana,’ as there is a shortage,” I hope all recognize the insanity. Words, discourse, language are negentropic; they are vehicles by which we transcend the immediate here and now of our bodily reality, and this primarily, even though largely unconsciously, seems to be a main source of intelligibility to afterlife beliefs.

We have not achieved immortality yet; that much is granted. And in your arguments, you seem to presume that death is a biological fact which can never be beaten, especially when you argue that “birth is a death sentence.” But there are people out there who are hopeful, however faintly, that technology may someday materialize that age-old dream. What do you have to tell them?
Many people seem to want to live forever, or at least have a life prolonged indefinitely. I understand, and some technologies hold the promise of radical life extension. A main problem, though, is even if humans could prolong life so that people could live to be 500 years old or maybe even 1,000+ years old, that would produce its own set of problems. Think of how much more tragic “a young death” would be. Someone who lives to be a mere 60 or 70 would seem to be have been deprived of that much more. But it is much more than that. Perhaps even more significantly, everyone on the planet cannot live to be 500 or 1,000. There are not sufficient resources, and who, exactly, would get to live in these ways? It is most likely that only wealthy ruling elites would have such luxury, and they could conceivably hold their reins of power for centuries. Take various commanding tyrants around the world and imagine that they are going to live for 1,000+ years. They could accumulate horrifying wealth and power. Social inequality would likely worsen and the divide between “the haves” and “the have nots” would grow much worse than it already is. In many ways death has always been and remains the great leveler and equalizer: It keeps various flows of power from coagulating.
So, my advice for people who have the age-old dream of living forever is to gain realistic perspective on who they are (finite animals), and to graciously accept their fate of intergenerational existence which demands, along other things, sharing and taking turns. People may have to look beyond their egos, discover how indebted to others they are, and how they, in fact, are only on loan to themselves. If people can discover who they really are, they may gain the wisdom and grace to accept death as the price for being born, with death acceptance as gratuity.

What if death was not a function of biological events, like in the sci-fi movie ‘In Time’ (2011) which in its criticism of alternative forms of class-based capitalism, establishes a non-linear time frame for death?
I am unfamiliar with this film, so I cannot speak about it. But from the vantage of my book, I would just quickly add that fictions, in all forms, are fascinating exemplars of non-being haunting being, that is, of things not being as they appear. This also means that “fictions” and “pretend” and “make-believe” are all actually part of nature. We, humans, simply happen to be that part of nature that can meaningfully entertain what is not that case.

You observe that death makes human life particularly meaningful. With all due respect, vampires beg to differ; and there are a whole lot of dramas out there which establish the meaningfulness of their lives. (I personally like ‘Only Lovers Left Alive’ by Jim Jarmusch. But you choose your pick.) One wise vampire might argue that humans’ dismissal of the good qualities of eternal life might be a reincarnation of the Aesopian fox who, upon finding out that he couldn’t reach the grapes, said: “They were not that ripe, after all.” What’s your response to the community of vampires – or elves, for that matter?
I think that this is very interesting, and perhaps revealing in unconscious ways. First, there are no actual vampires out in the world. They are the fictional product of human imaginations, and they exemplify how human awareness of death makes life meaningful in certain ways. For example, my guess is that other organisms, those wholly unaware of their own mortality, do not fantasize about vampires and such. Vampires represent an unconscious register of why death denial is problematic. They reveal our suspicions that such beings, as undead yet somehow still alive, would need to feed upon the living for their sustenance. They are traditionally cast as evil and harmful, because we seem to know on an unconscious level, that people are not meant to live indefinitely, and that such an existence would be its own kind of parasitic horror.
Perhaps vampires seem especially relevant and salient to us as a return of the repressed: We in the US have allowed lifeless corporations to be legally classified as persons.


For the privileged, death looks like a distant event that most often occurs in old ages in a hospital setting. But in many parts of the world, especially in war torn communities, people live under the constant threat of death. They should have a different interpretation of living with the fact of death, right?
Yes, that is right. I think that people who are surrounded by the fact of death are more easily able to accept death – however brutal and unpleasant – as part of life. In contrast, the further removed from death people get, the more that they can imagine a life where death is not an essential part of it. Hence, even in countries that are not war-torn, people can be more or less familiar with death. Even in peaceful places, people can routinely witness the slaughter of the animals they eat and watch their relatives die in their homes, and here death becomes a deep reminder of how fleeting life is, how much is simply beyond our control and how humble is our lot. In contrast, as people no longer witness the killing of animals for their food and when they no longer face death of loved ones in their homes, they can slowly and imperceptibly start to imagine life separated off from death. Such imagination carries with it subtle ego-gratifying thoughts, very comforting and yet arrogant ones. Along the way, the ego can grow to dragon size proportions and come to dominate, and people lose perspective on who they really are.

You also noted that “we humans are able to know that we are going to die.” Animals seem to know that they ‘may’ die, but I’m curious to know if they (or some of them) are aware of the certainty of death at one point in their lives?
I think that full and complete death awareness is a human phenomenon, though certainly other animals do have some awareness of death, especially the death/loss of others. Elephants do have weeping grounds and some primates, with their sophisticated nervous systems, are able to represent absences, losses, etc. The difference though seem considerable. This issue is put into suggestive light both painfully and humorously in the “Onion” Youtube video titled ‘Scientists Successfully Teach Gorilla It Will Die Someday’.
 My only addendum to that would be to return to the issue of COVID-19. We all die someday, but any of us could die at any moment. Keeping that in mind, it seems most logical to ask: How can we become adequately thankful for all that we have experienced, known, loved, for the relationship we have, and further, how we can, individually and collectively, make the most of our limited time?

Somehow following the above question, what about those who had a near-death experience, or recovered from coma?
Questions regarding near death experience (NDEs) are interesting and relevant. I have no doubt that NDEs occur, just as psychedelic experiences or dreams happen. In all such circumstances, some people claim to have been on the “other side” of life and/or to have encountered people long since deceased. “Ego-death” experiences, which move an individual beyond or outside the parameters of normally everyday reality, are proof that our common-sense reality is not necessarily the only game in town. Just like returning home after a trip to a faraway place brings fresh eyes and new possibilities to one’s home and life, people’s NDEs provide the distance and then a return filled with new possibilities of living and of self-understanding. NDEs need not be taken as anything more than demonstrations of the wide diversity of possible experiences within life. Hence, these experiences are not to be denied as much as interpreted as experiences on the very fringes of life and which may help us in our self-understanding and social practices. Much could be said along similar lines for dreams, which prior to the work of Freud were taken to be something otherworldly. Historically, many people throughout the globe understood dreams to offer the possibility of “visitations,” contacts with the dead. I’m not sure how many people today earnestly interpret and believe in their dreams in these ways (as I think most people in today’s world believe their dreams to be the product of their personal and collective unconscious) but I can imagine a future world where people take NDEs as many today seem to understand dreams. Ultimately, all NDE reports are from the living to the living.


You argue that life can’t be looked at from without. That sounds true. But so is the consciousness, one might argue. Or the language. Or the emotional core of the human psyche. Or, as some scholars have argued, our body. What makes life specific in that regard?
Hmm, I guess I don’t believe this is that controversial of a claim. And you are right that the logic applies to many other domains. Life can only be known, experienced, and talked about from within life. I personally find it miraculous that life only knows itself from this inside. I mean, think about it: We emerge to self-consciousness, realizing that we are here and alive only after having been alive for a significant time, and, on the other hand, as we approach death, we will experience it as, “I’m dying, I’m dying, I’m dying…” We will not be there to announce, “I now am dead.” It will remain a task for others to determine. The mobius-like nature of life and the cosmos, the fact that it has no outside, or at the least can only be known from within itself is mysterious, amazing and awe-inspiring.
It is rather interesting to me that each person knows the world only from his or her own vantage, life-span, and limited basis of comparison. Each and every life, no matter the total length, from within its own terms is fully itself and whole. The sense that anyone has died prematurely, lived an incomplete life and been denied time, comes only from the death awareness of those still alive. We, the living, look upon the child who died and pronounce that the death was a tragedy and premature. But for that child, who has no basis or frame for comparison, they simply never knew any other life. At a different scale, this is partly why empathy can be difficult for some people: We know the world from our own vantage, and it takes imaginative work to put ourselves in the shoes of others.








 

Political Desk

The Iranian foreign minister reiterated Tehran’s position on the need for removing all the sanctions inconsistent with ‎the 2015 nuclear deal and paying attention to the Islamic Republic’s red lines in the talks in Vienna on the restoration of the deal.
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks in an address to a Friday meeting with his Dutch counterpart, Wopke Hoekstra, in Munich on the sidelines of the 58th Munich Security Conference (MSC), ‎where the two sides also exchanged views on the latest state of the Vienna talks, according to Press TV.
Iran and the Netherlands, Amir-Abdollahian said, should work to bring their views closer and implement bilateral ‎agreements to further develop their relations.
Hoekstra expressed hope that an agreement would be reached in Vienna as soon as possible ‎and stressed Amsterdam’s preparedness to expand its ties with Tehran.
The Dutch foreign minister also voiced hope to visit Tehran soon.

‘Consider Iran’s red lines’

In another meeting on Friday, Amir-Abdollahian said Iran has called on the remaining participants to the deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), to consider the Islamic Republic’s red lines and avoid using media hype to sway negotiations in Vienna.
Making the remarks during a meeting with his German counterpart, Annalena Baerbock, the Iranian foreign minister noted that from the first day of the Vienna talks, Iran has been resolutely determined to reach a good agreement.
“The Islamic Republic expects the Europeans and [other] JCPOA parties to carefully consider Iran’s red lines and after years of inaction try to play an effective role in securing the legitimate rights of Iran as a party that was affected by the United States’ unilateral and illegal withdrawal” from the JCPOA, he said.
The top Iranian diplomat also rejected claims on the imposition of fictitious deadlines in the Vienna talks and stressed, “Tehran is taking heed of both the quality of an agreement and the element of time. If Iran’s legitimate demands are taken into account today, an agreement can be reached in Vienna.”
He further underlined the need for the opposite side not to make a miscalculation in the final days of the Vienna discussions by creating media hype.
Pointing to the history of relations between Iran and Germany in some areas of mutual interest, Amir-Abdollahian expressed Tehran’s readiness to hold a joint commission at the earliest agreed upon time and expand bilateral economic, political, cultural and scientific ties, as well as cooperation in the technical field and between the two countries’ private sectors.
The German foreign minister welcomed the expansion of all-out bilateral relations and emphasized Berlin’s resolve in this regard.
She also said that the negotiations in Vienna have reached a critical stage and that it is necessary for all parties to do their best to pass the current level in the shortest possible time and open a new chapter.
Iran’s rights should be respected while efforts must be stepped up towards a good agreement in Vienna, Baerbock added.
Moreover, in a Saturday meeting with his Swedish counterpart, Ann Linde, in Munich, Amir-Abdollahian highlighted Iran’s resolve to reach a good agreement in Vienna in case the other parties fulfill their commitments, according to official news agency IRNA.
In a meeting on the same day with Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, Amir-Abdollahian said Iran is resolved to reach a good agreement in the shortest time; but it completely depends on the U.S. will and behavior as well as Europe’s attention to the principles and laws of negotiation whether such an agreement would be reached in a few days or a few weeks.

West’s choice

In another meeting with his Austrian counterpart, Alexander Schallenberg, Amir-Abdollahian thanked the country for hosting the nuclear negotiations, saying, today, Vienna is a center of developments in important areas for Iran and the international community.
Reiterating the importance of Iran’s red lines and warning against any failure to consider them, he noted that if the final options for the Islamic Republic would be not reaching an agreement, on the one hand, and turning a blind eye to its people’s interests, on the other, Tehran’s definite choice will be respecting national interests.
Describing as inevitable the principle for the sustainability of any agreement striking and maintaining a balance between rights and responsibilities, the Iranian foreign minister said, at present, the Western sides must make their final decisions as to whether they want to put an end to their ongoing economic terrorism, inaction and nonfulfillment of promises, or still seek to let the issue remain a bone of contention by giving unacceptable pretexts.
He stressed that launching media campaigns by the United States and the E3 will not impact the absolute mission of the Iranian negotiating team, which is to protect the interests and rights of the country’s people.
Schallenberg said the final steps in negotiations normally becomes very tough and, at times, herculean, noting that no progress may be made on some days, but “we all have to make efforts to reach an agreement”.
Upon arrival in Germany on Friday, Amir-Abdollahian expressed hope that the Vienna talks would lead to a “good agreement” in the near future. ‎
He added, “We are still ‎facing a number of unresolved issues in the Vienna talks, which are being continued ‎in the Austrian capital with seriousness and the goal of arriving at a good agreement ‎by [Iran’s top negotiator] Bagheri Kani and my colleagues.”
Amir-Abdollahian added that for the post-agreement era, Iran must hold talks ‎with different countries to get prepared for the other parties’ return to their ‎commitments and implementation of what was agreed upon under the JCPOA, which was ‎signed in 2015. ‎
Continued on Page 2

 

International Desk

The Iranian foreign minister’s presence in the ongoing 58th Munich Security Conference (MSC) is a good opportunity for exchanging views on different issues, including Tehran’s peaceful nuclear program, said a former ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Germany.
Making the remark in an exclusive interview with Iran Daily, Alireza Sheikh-Attar added that Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has so far held talks with, among others, his German, Dutch, Swedish, Indian, Italian and Austrian counterparts on the sidelines of the MSC.
Commenting on Tehran’s relations with Berlin, he said Germany knows Iran very well, adding that after the issues regarding the Islamic Republic’s nuclear activities are resolved, the two countries will be able to expand cooperation using their considerable capacities.
The full text of the interview follows: ‎

IRAN DAILY: Would you please comment on the MSC‎’s status and importance in international relations?
ALIREZA SHEIKH-ATTAR: In the mid-1960s‎, when the Cold War had reached its peak, it was decided at the Germans’ initiative to hold a nongovernmental conference.
At that time, the major issues were those related to the Cold War. However, as time passed by, the conference became a venue for exchanging views and greater familiarity among the United States, the Soviet Union and their allies in the Eastern and Western blocs. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, other issues also began to be discussed at the conference as the world had become different from what it was and other countries were being invited to take part in the meeting. As far as I remember, since 2003, when Iran’s nuclear program became a globally important issue, Tehran has also been invited to the conference.
Iran has normally sent a deputy foreign minister to take part in the conference. In 2008, when I was appointed Iran’s ambassador to Berlin, I felt that the conference could serve as a venue to get informed about different views. After lobbying with the conference’s top officials, I noticed that they were also very interested in seeing a senior Iranian official attend the event on a regular basis and expound on the Islamic Republic’s stances.
Since normally close to 400 guests attend the conference annually, not everyone gets the chance to deliver a speech at the event. Nevertheless, following my talks with the conference’s officials, they sent two invitation letters for the then Iranian Parliament speaker Ali Larijani and foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki. Eventually, Mr. Larijani traveled to Munich at the head of a delegation and delivered a speech at the conference. In addition to providing Iran with the opportunity to deliver a speech, the host also organized a roundtable discussion attended by Mr. Larijani on the sidelines of the main event. The quality of the program was unprecedented.
This year, Amir-Abdollahian has taken part in the conference. The MSC is a very important opportunity for Iran to declare its stances and attitudes toward different issues. In addition to that, the meetings held on the sidelines of the conference are also very important for discussing bilateral as well as regional and international issues.

Ukraine appears to be the central issue at this year’s conference. What do you think would be the main pivots of the Iranian foreign minister’s talks with his foreign counterparts?
The issue of Ukraine is currently the most important topic of all international gatherings, including the MSC. The Russians, of course, do not have a representative at this year’s conference, which seems to be a message from Moscow to show its dissatisfaction with the policies the Western countries are pursuing against Russia. It is also likely that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has failed to allocate time for taking part in the meeting due to his tight schedule.
As for Mr. Amir-Abdollahian’s discussions, they could revolve around diverse issues, with the most important one being the declaration of Iran’s stances on the nuclear issue and consultations for arriving at a conclusion in Vienna. Improving political and economic relations with other countries can also be among the important topics.
However, the conference is not a venue for finding solutions for different issues, as no decision is made in the MSC. Decisions are made by governments, or in official international meetings, such as those held by the United Nations. The MSC is mostly a place for exchanging views, and given the international media’s significant presence, it is a good rostrum for different countries to inform the world’s public opinion of their stances.

On Friday, the Iranian foreign minister met his German counterpart, Annalena Baerbock, on the sidelines of the conference. Can the two countries expand their economic relations and cooperation?
Having relations with the United States, Israel and the European Union is among the principles of Germany’s foreign policy. Germany is, however, different from countries like Britain in some aspects. London is obviously Washington’s strategic ally, implementing almost completely the same policies adopted by the United States. To Germany, nevertheless, economic interests are very important. The country is the strongest and most industrial economy in Europe. The German economy is an export-oriented one. Germany has always eyed its presence in Iran’s market and, until a few years ago, was the Islamic Republic’s main trade partner. They had even made investments in Iran. They are quite familiar with Iran, meaning that they see it as a high-potential country in light of its educated workforce.
In addition, given Iran’s strategic location, Germany views the country as a hub or potential center for exports to the region’s market of 400 million people. Germany is, thus, not very happy with U.S. policies against Iran and seeks to adopt cautious stances toward Tehran lest it fails to have a place in the country’s market in the future.
Their stance toward Russia is the same. Germany is highly dependent on Russia for meeting its energy needs. Despite being an EU member, the country’s top officials traveled to Moscow and held talks with their Russian counterparts. The Russians said they had noted some of Germany’s proposals. Thus, Germany’s policies are different from those of the United States and Britain. It has sought to simultaneously maintain its ties with the United States, as well as relations with Iran. Tehran and Berlin can definitely expand their relations and cooperation in a large number of areas. The revival and improvement of such relations, however, hinge on the fate of more important issues, such as that of the Vienna talks and sanctions removal.

Do you maintain that Iran’s participation in international conferences and meetings is in Iran’s interests?
Yes, definitely, as they provide the country with new opportunities. The MSC is probably the most important international meeting following the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly.
 

Political Desk

Iran called on the international community to support the people of Palestine, urging an end to the Zionist regime’s demolition of Palestinians’ homes and occupation of their lands.
Condemning the Israeli regime’s racist policies forcing the Palestinian people living in the flashpoint neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah to leave their homes, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Saturday that the destruction of Palestinians’ houses and confiscation of their lands come as a continuation of the apartheid policies of the child-killing Israeli regime, IRNA reported.
He expressed solidarity with the Palestinian people as the main and true residents of this ancient land and the cradle of divine religions, urging the international community and organizations to fulfill their legal and human commitments in this regard.   
Tensions heightened across the Palestinian territories last Sunday, when Israeli forces and illegal settlers renewed their attacks against Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah. The neighborhood has been the scene of frequent crackdowns by the Israeli regime forces on the Palestinians protesting against the threatened expulsion of dozens of families from their homes in favor of Israeli settler groups, according to Press TV.
The initial tensions that erupted in Sheikh Jarrah last year, in part, sparked a May 2021 war between the Israeli regime and resistance groups in the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas on Thursday warned Israel against crossing “red lines” in Sheikh Jarrah or any other area in the occupied Al-Quds.
The Palestinian Information Center cited senior Hamas official Basem Na’im as saying that the crossing of Hamas’ red lines in Sheikh Jarrah, Al-Aqsa Mosque, or any other area in the occupied Al-Quds would have “serious repercussions.”

Hamas call

In a Saturday statement, Hamas called for active participation locally and globally in International Quds Week.
The Palestinian resistance movement called on Muslims to actively attend the event, which is scheduled to be held from February 25 to March 4.
It hailed the global initiative in support of Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa Mosque as the focal centers of the fight against the Zionist enemy and support for the Palestinian cause.