In the Name of God, the Compassionate the Merciful
Honorable Donald Tsang,
The Chief Executive of HKSAR
His Excellency Mr. Lü Xinhua, Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of PRC
Mr. President of Hong Kong Legislative Council
Distinguished Members of the Executive Council
Consuls General
My fellow Iranian Compatriots
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honor to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution in your esteemed presence this evening.
30 years ago these days, Iranian people created one of the most grass-roots and most significant revolutions of the 20th century with the subsequent 99.8 percent of the popular vote for the Islamic Republic of Iran as the system of government.
Thanks to the Almighty God, perseverance of our people and great historical and cultural support, Iran is of the most progressive nations in the region in all aspects of politics, economy, science and culture, despite the economic and political challenges over the past 3 decades.
Ladies and Gentlemen
Politically, Islamic Republic of Iran celebrates its 30th anniversary when it has proudly held more than 30 Parliamentary, Presidential, and City Council elections presenting to the world a viable religious democracy.
Great economic achievements have included the year 2008 GDP that stands at more than 312 billion US dollars which, according to the Economist, is expected to reach seven hundred 20 billion dollars in 5 years.
International Federation of Stock Exchanges has also reported a 132 percent growth of indexes at Tehran Stock Exchange for the month of September. United Nations Human Developments Index 2008 reported a 5-digit figure of Iran’s GDP with foreign currency reserves as at around 100 billion US dollars.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Having taken great leaps in the scientific arena, in most of the scientific fields, Iran is second to none in the Middle East Region.
Its ancient history and thousands-old civilization coupled with numerous cultural achievements attained during the Islamic Revolution across the board, has elevated the Islamic Republic of Iran as an important cultural hub in the world.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Emerging needs have necessitated the exploitation and diversification of our energy resources and thanks to the unshaken faith of our young scientists, my country has, as one of its priorities, peaceful development of the nuclear energy which will in turn expedite our pace of development. Our nation is more than prepared to transfer such a peaceful technology to other countries interested, with the aim of promoting clean and renewable energies.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Our historical, strategic and amicable relations with People’s Republic of China, further intertwined by an ancient culture that dates back to Silk Road era, are expanding at an accelerated pace. The volume of bilateral trade between the two countries for the year 2008 went over 25 billion US dollars with new avenues of cooperation explored, culminating in an oil agreement worth of 1.76 billion US dollars between Iran National Oil Company and CNPC of China this past January 2009.
As an international gateway to China, relations with Hong Kong have also expanded in the context of our relations with the motherland. Year 2008 saw the volume of both direct and indirect bilateral trades combined as at more than 5 billion Hong Kong dollars with a 20 percent rise in Hong Kong exports to my country.
Tourist as well as trade visits between the two sides, particularly among top-tier professionals, have shown a dramatic rise over the past few years, therefore playing a significant role in improving the understanding between the two nations’ traders and citizens.
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen
I would like to conclude by acknowledging the esteemed presence of our dear Iranian compatriots in Hong Kong from across the board. Thank you again, dear guests, ladies and gentlemen for participating in this ceremony and may I express hope for further expansion of links between two great nations of Iran and China.
May God bless the Government and people of Hong Kong SAR with health, welfare and success in this brand Chinese New Year.
Thank you.