WWW.TEHRANTIMES.COM I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 8 Pages Price 50,000 Rials 1.00 EURO 4.00 AED 43rd year No.13953 Thursday MAY 27, 2021 Khordad 6, 1400 Shawwal 15, 1442 Iran congratulates Para shooter Quarterly trade Play depicts Zargham’s Lebanon on anniv. of Javanmardi ready to between Iran, change from reprobate victory against Israel Page 3 shine at Paralympics Page 3 Turkey rises 53% Page 4 to revolutionary Page 8 Key issues remain unresolved, top nuclear negotiator says TEHRAN – A senior Iranian diplomat leading ations with the Joint Commission of the Iran steps up diplomacy amid the Iranian negotiating team in Vienna has JCPOA, which consists of Iran and the said important issues remain resolved as P4+1 countries, began, and we had the first Tehran and world powers resumed nuclear meeting of the Joint Commission. Work talks in the Austrian capital on Tuesday. will continue by working groups in both Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed nuclear area and sanctions lifting, and border tensions between Abbas Araghchi arrived in Vienna a few a third working group on how to imple- days ago and started the fifth round of ment the agreements will also continue,” the Vienna nuclear talks that are aimed Araghchi told state media Tuesday after a See page 3 to revive a 2015 nuclear deal, officially meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan which marked the beginning of the fifth Armenia, Azerbaijan of Action (JCPOA). round of the nuclear talks. “Today, the fifth round of our negoti- Continued on page 3 Non-oil exports hit $6.3b in 2 months, up 48% yr/yr TEHRAN – The value of Iran’s non-oil to Mehdi Mir-Ashrafi. exports reached $6.3 billion in the first two Meanwhile, some 5.3 million tons of months of the current Iranian calendar goods valued at $6.5 billion were also im- year (March 21-May 21), up 48 percent ported into the country in the said period compared to the last year’s same period, to register a 26.5-percent rise compared IRIB reported on Wednesday quoting the to the last year’s same two months. head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Cus- In total, the Islamic Republic traded toms Administration (IRICA). 22.2 million tons of such goods worth Iran exported 16.9 million tons of non- $12.8 billion with its trade partners in the oil commodities including gasoline, poly- period under review, up 6.6 percent and ethylene, methanol, iron and steel ingots 38 percent in terms of weight and value, and steel products to foreign destinations respectively, Mir-Ashrafi said. in the mentioned two months, according Continued on page 4 Attracting foreign students more than projected: official TEHRAN – Currently, foreign nationals con- the country should be non-Iranian, how- stitute 1.64 percent of the country’s student ever, the figure stood at 1.64 percent in population, which is about 0.14 percent higher the past Iranian calendar year (March than the goal set by the Sixth Five-Year National 2020-March 2021), Afshin Akhoundzadeh, Development Plan (2015-2021). an official at the Organization of Student According to the plan, some 1.5 percent Affairs, said, IRNA reported on Wednesday. File photo of the population of university students in Continued on page 7 Transit of goods via ‘Iranians, Armenians enjoy deep, Syrians vote in presidential Iran rising long-standing correlation’ election BY MAHNAZ ABDI TEHRAN – The secretary-general of the Ira- has been put on show for the event, according Voters in liberated parts of Syria are heading stronghold in 2018. oday, transit has become nian National Commission for UNESCO has to organizers. to the polls to cast ballots in an election Damascus-based correspondents reported more important due to the praised historical relations between Iran and Experts believe that to the untrained eye, that is set to determine who is the next polling stations were packed with voters all expanded global trade rela- Armenia, saying the two nations enjoy a deep Iran’s earliest churches may seem modest president. morning and that many voters were waiting T and long-standing correlation. structures to some but they bear testimo- Wednesday’s presidential vote is the second to cast ballots. tions and the intensity of competi- tion for new markets. So that many “The people of Iran and Armenia have a ny to a vast panorama of architectural and since the beginning of Syria’s crisis a decade Assad, whose “Hope Through Work” elector- countries have achieved huge in- long and deep relationship with each other decorative scenes associated with Armenian ago, a conflict that has killed hundreds of thou- al campaign heavily focused on creating jobs, comes in this way by planning and and our cultural relations with Armenians culture blended with other regional cultures: sands of people and forced millions to leave the is hopeful to secure another seven-year term making optimal use of their transit is very extensive,” IRNA quoted Hojatollah Byzantine, Orthodox, Assyrian, Persian, and country. In 2014, Bashar Assad won nearly 89 despite 10 years of war. opportunities and facilities. Ayoubi as saying on Wednesday. Muslim. percent of the vote. Iran and Russia, as well as Belarus, sent Iran is one of the countries that has a He made the remarks on Tuesday at the St. Thaddeus, St. Stepanos, and the Chap- Assad is running against two opposition delegations to monitor the election. special status in trade and transit relations opening ceremony of a virtual photo exhibit, el of Dzordzor are three photogenic ancient candidates: Abdullah Salloum Abdullah, Meanwhile, the foreign ministers due to its strategic location and special which is dedicated to the UNESCO--registered churches that constitute the Armenian Monas- former state minister of parliamentary af- of the United States, United Kingdom, geography, as the country is the passage of Armenian Monastic Ensembles of Iran. tic Ensembles of Iran, which were collectively fairs; and Mahmoud Ahmad Marei, head of France, Germany and Italy issued a joint several important international corridors. “As you know, Armenians are part of the inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage the National Democratic Front. Forty-eight statement in which they criticized the In the south of Iran is the Persian Gulf, proud history of the people of this land, and in 2008. They are dotted in fresh and green other presidential aspirants had submitted Syrian election. which is home to the world’s major oil-pro- the name of Armenia is inscribed on [the lands of northwest Iran and are important requests for candidacy, but their applications Addressing his critics, Assad said Syrians ducing countries. This region is considered UNESCO- designated] Bisotun.” pilgrimage sites for Armenian-Iranians and were rejected. had made their feelings clear by coming out as the energy bottleneck of the world. A selection of 70 pictures captured by Ira- others from across the globe. Assad casted his ballot in Douma near in large numbers. “The value of your opinions In the north of Iran is the Caspian Sea, nian photographer Ebrahim Khadembayat Continued on page 6 the capital, Damascus, a previous rebel is zero,” he said. which is the best bridge between Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan and can play an important role Iran says stands by Africa against ‘vaccine apartheid’ U.S. failed badly in in trade between these countries. TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad we’re again joined in the fight against apartheid— At least two European countries and three The country, on the other hand, borders Javad Zarif has said the country will fight against this time #VaccineApartheid.” countries in the region are now seeking to negotiate West Asia: academic Iraq, Turkey, Pakistan and Afghanistan ‘vaccine apartheid’ in Africa as the coronavirus While Iran continues efforts to mass-produce on purchasing vaccines, but we will export once to the west and east. continues to ravage the world. local candidates, several foreign vaccines have al- the domestic needs are met, Mokhber stated. BY MOHAMMAD MAZHARI In other words, it can be said that Iran “Iran will always be a reliable partner to all ready been imported and mass-vaccination started. Domestic vaccines TEHRAN - An associate professor in the department communicates with 15 countries through land African friends,” Zarif wrote on his Twitter ac- Several countries have asked for purchasing COVIRAN BAREKAT, the first coronavirus of political science from the National University of and water borders, and at the same time it count on Tuesday. Inspired by Africa’s victory the Iranian-made coronavirus vaccine (COVIRAN vaccine made by Iranian researchers, started the Singapore says that the U.S. will be the big loser in can act as a bridge between these countries over domination, Iran stands by the continent, BAREKAT), Mohammad Mokhber, the head of third phase of the human trial in early May by West Asia until it supports Israel. (with each other and other parts of the world). Javad added, congratulating Africa Day 2021. the Headquarters for Executing the Order of the being administrated to 20,000 people. “Until the U.S. does not decouple itself from Israel, These countries have a large population “As COVID-19 continues to ravage the world, Imam, said on May 18. Continued on page 7 the Americans will always be losers in the Middle and high income which can be effective East (West Asia) and will not win much support and as a factor in the development of transit sympathy in the Muslim world,” Bilveer Singh tells and trade in the region.