PETALING JAYA, Sept 9 — The Covid-19 pandemic has led to countries around the world pursuing closer ties with their bilateral counterparts through trade and research in an effort to stem its negative impact.
One such nation is the Islamic Republic of Iran, whose ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Malaysia Ali Asghar Mohammadi said this is a key focus of Tehran’s foreign policy.
“The pandemic has led us to seek more mutually beneficial initiatives with nations with whom we have ties, namely China, Russia, and several other European countries, to name a few.
“It is my aim that during my tenure as ambassador, we will be able to also achieve this goal. Malaysia’s research and technology are admired in Iran, and in turn we hope that Malaysia too will be able to benefit from the knowledge we gained from science and knowledge-related fields. A win-win situation, if you will,” he told Malay Mail.
Mohammadi and his delegation paid a visit to the Malay Mail headquarters in Section 13 earlier today. The ambassador, who previously served as his nation’s representative to the Philippines, began his tenure here in March this year and is looking forward to forging stronger economic and technological ties with Malaysia.
He recounts the difficulties his nation has faced since the republic’s establishment in 1979, and the effects of the subsequent United States-led sanctions has had on Iran.
“In the past 40 years, Iran has had to develop its own capabilities in areas including technology and medicine, since it is difficult and at times impossible to import these from elsewhere.
“Despite the problems we faced due to the sanctions, we have managed to develop Iran’s higher education and science-related sectors. At present, there are approximately 5,300 knowledge-based companies in the country, and this number continues to grow,” Mohammadi said.
The drive to develop Iranian science and technology is motivated in part by efforts to wean Iran off its economic dependence on oil revenues as its traditional source of income.
The ambassador said that as an unexpected result, the sanctions have forced them to work in new and innovative ways to keep Iran’s economy going.
On Covid-19, Mohammadi acknowledged that the pandemic initially caught Iran off guard, and opened its eyes to the country’s strengths and weaknesses when it comes to science and technology.
“Coupled with the sanctions that prevented us from importing the necessary equipment to pursue this avenue, now we are more aware of what we need to do, such as increasing investment in methods to counter Covid-19,” he said.
