President says defending people’s rights is in nature of Islamic Republic

Defending human rights has always been Islamic Republic’s serious priority, President Raisi said in a meeting held in New York on Wednesday with his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinistö.

The president departed for New York on Monday (September 19) at the invitation of the United Nations chief to take part in the 77th UN General Assembly session.

Referring to friendly ties between Tehran and Helsinki, the president said that bilateral cooperation can be at a higher level with the help of great capacities in both states.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is after expansion of ties with all friendly countries including Finland, Raisi underlined.  

Elaborating on Iran’s logic behind the nuclear issue, he said that regarding the US record in disloyalty, no one in the world can claim today that Islamic Republic’s stance on getting guarantees is illogical.

He further described the anti-Iran sanctions imposed by the United States as unfair and unlawful.

Meanwhile, he underlined that the sanctions could not prevent Iran from progressing.

Touching upon the issue of human rights, the president censured the West double-standard policy on the issue, stressing that such a policy is considered as the main violation of human rights.

The Finnish president, for his part, said his country enjoys good ties with Iran.

He said Helsinki and Tehran have cordial relations which are growing.

At the end, Niinistö appreciated Iran for hosting a large number of Afghan refugees for years, and called on the Iranian president for acting as a mediator to help end conflicts in Ukraine.

Iranian officials have already stated repeatedly that diplomatic solution can help halt war in Ukraine.