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.13052 Sunday FEBRUARY 18, 2018 Bahman 29, 1396 Jumada Al thani 1, 1439 Velayati: U.S. trying to Backing Assad Ashkan Dejagah Unacknowledged Fajr create ‘new Middle East’ was Iran’s best decision: sidelined up to films triumphant at to break up nations 2 advisor 2 eight weeks: Report 15 Qoqnus Screen Awards 16 Trade between Iran, EU grows 53% in 2017 Civilizational relationship ECONOMY TEHRAN — Iran-Eu- 85 percent increase in comparison with the deskropean Union trade in preceding year when Europeans imported See page 2 2017 increased by 53 percent in comparison €5.5 billion of Iranian goods. with the year before, according to Euro- Iran’s imports from Europe in 2017 pean Union’s statistics agency Eurostat. augmented 31 percent and reached €10.8 Eurostat announced that the value billion, from its previous €8.2 billion in of trade between Iran and the European 2016. Union member states in 2017 stood at Iran-European Union trade balance in €21 billion, Tasnim news agency reported 2017 was €600 million in favor of Europe. on Saturday. Trade between Iran and European Un- Europe’s imports from Iran stood at ion was €13.7 billion in 2016, showing 78 €10.2 billion in the said time, registering percent rise from that in 2015. Iran health minister appointed WHO commissioner on NCDs SOCIETY TEHRAN — Irani- According to the WHO official website, deskan Health Minister the first ever WHO Independent Global Hassan Qazizadeh-Hashemi has re- High-level Commission on NCDs, aiming cently been appointed as the World to propose practical ways to fight the world Health Organization’s commissioner leading causes of death and illnesses was for Independent Global High-level announced in 2017, by Dr. Tedros Adhanom Commission on Non-Communicable Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO and Diseases (NCDs). will run until October 2019. 12 Agreements signed to boost NATO, Germany back Iran economic, agricultural, nuclear deal POLITICS At the high-profile who was delivering a speech at the MSC deskMunich Security conference on Saturday, said the United development co-op 4 Conference, NATO Secretary General States should respect its commitments to Jens Stoltenberg and German Foreign the nuclear deal. Minister Sigmar Gabriel have supported Speaking at the opening session the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, officially of the security conference on Friday, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan Stoltenberg also said NATO prioritizes of Action. the full implementation of the nuclear president.ir According to Deutsche Welle, Gabriel, agreement. 2 ARTICLE Zarif: Rouhani’s India visit cements ‘centuries-old friendship’ ARTICLE By Hanif Ghaffari POLITICS TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Economic Affairs Mohammad Nahavandian, Oil By Sajad Abedi Political analyst deskMinister Mohammad Javad Minister Bijan Namdar Zangeneh, Transport and Political analyst Zarif has said that President Hassan Rouhani’s Urban Development Minister Abbas Akhoundi, visit to India cemented “centuries-old friendship” Industry and Commerce Minister Mohammad between the two countries. Shariatmadari and Presidential Chief of Staff “President Hassan Rouhani State visit to Mahmoud Vaezi. From Davos to India resulted in many agreements on trade Rouhani met with Indian Prime Minister Modern and cooperation, but more importantly, firmly Narendra Modi on Saturday. Munich cemented centuries-old friendship between our During the visit, Iran and India signed 9 management and he remarks made by European officials two nations,” Zarif tweeted on Saturday. documents to boost cooperation in key areas of requirements in the at the Munich Security Conference Rouhani started his three-day tour of India security, trade and energy. show that they are worried about the on Thursday by first arriving in the southern In a meeting with religious scholars and leaders age of information T city of Hyderabad and then in New Delhi on of the Islamic community of Hyderabad, Rouhani future of Europe (given America’s policies). Undoubtedly, Donald Trump’s presence at Friday night. Minister Narendra Modi. He was accompanied said that he bears the message of friendship and ndoubtedly, the creation of com- the top of the political and executive equa- He took the visit at the invitation of Prime by Foreign Minister Zarif, Vice President for brotherhood to the people of India. patibility in different aspects of tions of the United States has exacerbated Uthe organization with environ- this concern. An overview of the views and mental changes and the use of tools that attitudes of European officials during the Sheikh Tamim: Qatar blockade ‘futile’ are increasingly available to managers Davos and Munich Conference and their with the advancement of technology An ongoing blockade of Qatar by a House of “Those aggressive actors wish to use smaller like Qatar,” Sheilkh Tamim said in his Munich comparison with each other suggests that the is not only necessary, but the life of Saud regime-led group of states is “futile”, the states as pawns within their power games and Security Conference address. security, economic, and political concerns organizations in today’s volatile and Qatari emir has said, warning that the months- sectarian conflicts.” “Preserving the sovereignty and the inde- of European countries have not only not turbulent environments depends on long crisis is undermining the region’s security Despite the measures against it, Qatar has pendent decision making of countries like Qatar diminished but are increasing. this. Managers may pursue new or- and economic outlook. developed new international trade routes and ensures accelerated development - development During the World Economic Summit in ganizational designs with different The House of Saud regime, the United Arab accelerated economic diversity, Sheikh Tamim like free media and free speech that the blockading Davos, the Chancellor of Germany and the motivations. Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt cut diplo- added. countries insist we surrender.” President of France both gave a significant Different ages have different funda- matic ties with Qatar on June 5, 2017 and im- On June 22, 2017, the quartet issued a 13-point warning about the return of nationalism Middle East security mentals. Information and communica- posed a land, sea and air embargo, accusing it list of demands, including the shutdown of Qa- and populism to Europe. This warning Sheikh Tamim also called for a comprehensive tion technology is one of the important of supporting “terrorism”. Doha has repeatedly tar-based media network Al Jazeera, limiting has been sent in a time when Far-Right security settlement in the Middle East, saying features of the information age that denied the allegation. ties with Iran and expelling Turkish troops sta- movements in Europe have been able to the region must be brought back from the brink allows the design of new organizational “It has been a futile crisis, manufactured by tioned in the country as a prerequisite to lifting gain unbelievable power and even seek of disaster. forms, new control systems, the re-en- our neighbors,” Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al the blockade. to conquer a majority of parliaments and “I believe it is time for wider regional security gineering of organizational processes, Thani told a major security conference held in Qatar rejected all the demands, de- form governments. in the Middle East ... for all nations of the region and so on. The signs of the informa- Germany. nouncing them as attempts to infringe its In her speech, Angela Merkel empha- to forget the past and agree on basic security prin- tion age are seen everywhere. Personal “By defusing the impact of the illegal and sovereignty. sized that the twentieth century’s mistake ciples and rules of governance,” he said, adding computers, interactive media, global aggressive measures imposed on our people, “It is vital to the interests of the people of the shouldn’t be repeated. By this, the German that a future governance model for the region communications networks, e-publica- Qatar has preserved its sovereignty,” he said. Middle East to guarantee the sovereignty of states Chancellor meant the tendency of Europe- ought to be based on the European Union. 13 tions, digital libraries, and the like are an countries to nationalism. Although the an expression of the information age. German Chancellor warning was serious The amount of information generated and necessary, the warning seems to be in the past two decades alone is greater a little late. Perhaps it would have been than all information produced in the better if the warning was forwarded after A heaven for last millennium. The role of informa- the European Parliamentary elections in tion professionals in the new age has 2014, and subsequently, more practical migratory become important because they are and deterrent measures were designed. aware of how organizations organize, However, Merkel and other European manage and exploit the information leaders ignored the representation of birds assets of organizations and can reveal over a hundred right-wing extremist in the strategic value of information for the European Parliament in 2014 and Flocks of migratory geese are shown at a all organizations. merely saw it as a kind of social excitement. wetland habitat situated in Iran’s north- The economy that are wealthy knowl- This social excitement has now become ern Mazandaran province, February 16, edge and information workers produce a “political demand” in the West. The dis- 2018. Captured by Gholamreza Rezaei and often well-known for information-based satisfaction of European citizens with their resealed by IRNA, the picture belongs to economies. In such economies, GDP is governments has caused them to explicitly a photo collection that depicts various generated through the creation, pro- demand the return to the twentieth cen- wildlife refuges dotted along the south cessing, and transfer of information.