Ceremony Held in Russia to Mark the Anniversary of the Iranian Revolution

A ceremony marking the 37th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution was held by the Iranian ambassador to Russia and was attended by many government officials, NGO officials, and military attachés.

Following are excerpts from the report on the ceremony, broadcast by Press TV on February 12, 2016.

Voice of reporter: More than 1,000 guests have attended a ceremony hosted by Iran's ambassador in Moscow, to mark the 37th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Participants congratulated Iran for its achievements during these years.

Magomed-Salamovich Umakhonov, Deputy Chairman, Russian Federation Council: With a sense of shared pride, I congratulate the Iranians on the successes in diplomacy, and the political breakthrough in the past year. The Iranian people have great prospects in the socio-economic development. The Russian Federation has always been interested in maintaining the partnership and friendly relations with Iran.

Voice of reporter: A large number of government officials, members of civil society, and military attachés atteneded the ceremony. Many kind words were spoken to commemorate this day in the history of Iran.

Nikolay Levichev, chairman, "A Just Russia" Party: On behalf of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, I would like to congratulate the Iranian people and the leadership of the country on the 37th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, that allowed Iran to maintain sovereignty, and to develop on the basis of their own national traditions. In recent months, Russia and Iran shoulder to shoulder have confronted many global threats. We hope that the relations between our peoples will develop in all spheres of cooperation.

Voice of reporter: The Iranian ambassador to Russia Mehdi Sanaei stood at the reception, greeting a gathering that came to celebrate the occasion. Sanaei stressed that the past year, in many aspects, was a turning point in the relations between the two countries.

Mehdi Sanaei, Iranian Ambassador to Russia: The year of 2015 was exceptional and a very fruitful year in our relations, and we will observe the realization of many projects in 2016.

Reporter: The anniversary of the 1979 Revolution is commemorated in Moscow every year. It is traditionally held at the Iranian ambassador's residence, and has turned into an annual gathering, for much of the Russian political elite to pay their respects to the Iranian Revolution.

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