WWW.TEHRANTIMES.COM I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 16 Pages Price 10,000 Rials 38th year No.12842 Tuesday MMAYAY 330,0, 22017017 Khordad 9, 1396 Ramadan 4, 1438 Regional crises won’t 2nd Iran-Russia Energy ‘Tourism brings both Kiarostami died of massive affect Tehran-Muscat Committee meeting due money and more positive brain hemorrhage caused by ties: Oman 2 in coming days 4 intl. image for Iran’ 10 overdose of heparin: Iran 16 Intl. Holy Quran Exhibition Iran prepared to kicks off in Tehran CULTURE TEHRAN — Irani- A special division has also been deskan Minister of Cul- dedicated to top translations and in- ture and Islamic Guidance Reza Sale- terpretations of the Holy Quran by hi-Amiri opened the 25th International Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, deploy troops in Syria Holy Quran Exhibition at Tehran’s Imam Abdolkarim Musavi Ardebili and Mo- Khomeini Mosalla on Monday. hammad Vaez-Zadeh Khorasani. Copies of the Holy Quran published According to the Deputy Culture by various Iranian and international Minister Mohammadreza Heshmati, a See page 2 publishers are on display in the exhibit number of figures active in promoting that will be running until June 16. the Quran will be honored during the The exhibit, which is held during the exhibit in a ceremony that will be at- holy month of Ramadan every year, coin- tended by President Hassan Rouhani. cides with the death anniversary of Imam The screening of a documentary on Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Re- Toshihiko Izutsu (1914–1993), a Japanese public of Iran this year, and the organizers philosopher who had many publications have arranged sections to highlight Imam on Islam and other religions, is among Khomeini and the Quran. the highlights of the exhibition, 16 Boost in nominal petchem output capacity planned ECONOMY TEHRAN — The try by the end of the current calendar year, deskNational Petro- Bossaqzadeh had previously announced. chemical Company (NPC) plans to in- Also, NPC Managing Director Mar- crease its nominal production capacity ziyeh Shahdaie has said that with all by three percent to reach 86 percent unfinished projects coming online the by the end of the current Iranian cal- country’s petrochemical industry will endar year (March 20, 2018). witness a significant boost and annual Ali-Mohammad Bossaqzadeh, the production capacity is going to reach production control director of NPC, 72 million tons in this year. said the goal will be achieved through The official put the country’s annual implementing new petrochemical pro- petrochemical production at 50 million jects in the country, Shana news re- tons in the past calendar year and said File photo ported on Monday. that 21 million tons of petrochemical Left to right, Russian lead negotiator on Syria Alexander Lavrentyev, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Jaberi Ansari, Kazakh Foreign Minister Seven new petrochemical projects are products worth $9.4 billion were ex- Kairat Abdrakhmanov and UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura attend the fourth round of Syria peace talks in Astana on May, 2017. planned to be implemented in the coun- ported in the previous year. 4 Eurasian Leader, senior officials donate $170,000 to free prisoners ARTICLE Economic Union Harun Yahya SOCIETY TEHRAN — Supreme speaker and the judiciary chief each made Last year, some 178 charity fundraising political analyst close to free-trade deskLeader Ayatollah Seyyed 500 million rials ($12,500), IRIB reported on events to free prisoners took place nation- deal with Iran Ali Khamenei, President Hassan Rouhani, Monday. wide and contributions totaled some 400 Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, and Judiciary Every year concurrent with the holy billion rials (nearly $10 million), Jolaei ex- Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani made a total of month of Ramadan Iranians make generous plained. The Moscow-led Eurasian Economic 6.83 billion rials (nearly $170,000) in contribu- donations to help free prisoners. According He also pointed out that the leader, the The Road to peace Union aims to finalize a free-trade deal tions to help free prisoners who had commit- to Blood Money Organization’s director As- president, the parliament speaker, and the ju- with Iran by the end of the year, in an ted involuntary crimes. adollah Jolaei, this year the 30th charity fund diciary chief donated 3 billion rials ($75,000), attempt by Russia and its fellow mem- in Syria The leader and the president donated raising ceremony will be held today in Tehran. 2.5 billion rials ($62,500), 500 million rials bers to deepen ties with Tehran. 3.13 billion rials ($78,250) and 2.7 billion rials Some 290 fundraising events are planned ($12,500), and 500 million rials ($12,500) to ruly the only way to end the Russia and Iran cooperate on a ($67,500) respectively, while the parliament to be held nationwide, he added. the event respectively. civil war in Syria is cooperation number of geopolitical issues, most T between regional countries in- notably in the war in Syria. The two cluding Turkey, Russia and Iran. The countries have sought to deepen their involvement of other foreign powers relationship since the EU and U.S. im- Iran to receive €10m in humanitarian funding from EU would not be able to offer a perma- posed sanctions on Moscow in 2014. SOCIETY TEHRAN — The Euro- disaster risk management in Central Asia. placed people in Afghanistan who have nent solution. Therefore, it is great to Reaching a deal on free trade deskpean Commission has of- “The EU’s assistance announced to- had to flee conflict or been injured, as well see that new developments reflect this would represent a notable victory for fered €10 million in humanitarian funding day will help hundreds of thousands of as the most vulnerable Afghan refugees re- sentiment and a regional cooperation the nascent EEU — a single market to help Iran complement efforts to provide people affected by conflicts and natural turning to their country. The assistance will is being built. The meeting that took of Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyr- for the basic needs of Afghan refugees and disasters in South-West and Central Asia. focus on areas such as protection, food, place on December 20, 2016 in Mos- gyzstan and Armenia set up in 2015 — their families, with emphasis on education of I was recently in the region and saw first- emergency shelter, health, water, hygiene cow between the foreign ministers of and mark a significant strengthening of children, protection, food, water, health and hand the humanitarian needs. Children and sanitation. Russia, Turkey and Iran, which resulted relations between Iran and the former sanitation. always suffer the most in long-lasting Organizations in Pakistan will also bene- in a joint declaration, marked the be- Soviet republics. According a press release issued on the crises which is why a significant part of fit from funding of about €7 million, which ginning of such cooperation. “We believe we can come up with European Commission website on Monday, this funding will also focus on education will notably help Pakistanis who have been The declaration dealt with cru- something substantial by the end of EU has announced humanitarian assistance in emergencies. Investing in children’s fu- displaced by internal conflict and also help cial issues such as the preservation of the year,” said Timur Suleimenov, Ka- of over €44 million to help people in need in ture is crucial for the stabilization of the provide essential services for Afghan ref- the unity, independence and territorial zakhstan’s minister of economy. South-West and Central Asia, who continue entire region,” said Commissioner for Hu- ugees. integrity of Syria, the importance of a The EEU’s prime ministers resolved to face the consequences of years of conflicts manitarian Aid and Crisis Management In Central Asia, over €2 million will be diplomatic solution rather than a mili- in March to make talks with Tehran a and displacement, as well as recurrent natural Christos Stylianides. The Commissioner provided for disaster risk reduction so com- tary one and increasing the ceasefires priority, scenting an opportunity to disasters. made the announcement as he met to- munities are better prepared to respond to across the region to allow the trans- expand beyond the bloc’s combined The funding will support Afghan refugees day with Mr. Neil Buhne, UN Humanitari- natural hazards. The Commission has fund- fer of humanitarian aid to areas where market of 183m people. and their families in Iran and Pakistan, help an Coordinator for Pakistan. ed a number of such programs in the region they are urgently needed. Indeed, only “We would like to have a framework victims of conflict in Afghanistan and improve €25.5 million will help internally dis- since 1996. days after this declaration, on Decem- signed then,” said Suleimenov, who ber 30, 2016, a general ceasefire went became minister in December after into effect. previously working as the minister in After more than six years of war, the charge of economy and financial poli- cooperation between the three key re- cy at the EEU Commission in Moscow. gional players for the first time created At the same time, Suleimenov a prospect for peace in Syria. It was warned that any souring of U.S.-China also a clear reminder that the prob- trade relations under Trump would be Borage lems in the region can be resolved harmful for Central Asia. only through cooperation. In fact, the Trump’s campaign for the White harvest Geneva meetings that were previously House was marked by strong an- led by the U.S. and Western coalitions ti-free trade rhetoric and heavy crit- season in failed to offer a solution or contribute icism of China, which he threatened to the peace process in the country.