Motahari-Asl: Azerbaijan-e Sharqi's Position in Government Decision-Making Should Be Strengthened
Tabriz – The Supreme Leader's Representative in East Azerbaijan called on the government to give greater attention to the province's historical, cultural, economic, and mineral capacities in national decision-making and development plans.
According to Mehr reporter, Hojjatul-Islam wal-Muslimeen Ahmad Motahari, on Thursday morning, at the meeting of the East Azerbaijan Planning and Development Council, which was held in the presence of President Masoud Al-Badishian's webinar, expressed the cultural, social and economic demands of the province and emphasized the need to pursue issues related to the livelihood of employees, strengthen the social functions of mosques, and support cultural and literary programs.
Referring to the international commemoration program of Allameh Tabatabai, the representative of the religious jurist in East Azerbaijan said: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has put the commemoration of this outstanding philosophical and mystical figure on the agenda in 2026 and 2027, and this program has been approved with the support of Pakistan, Turkey and the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Emphasizing the necessity of holding an international congress of Allameh Tabatabai, he said: This scientific and philosophical figure can represent the message of rationality, peace and friendship of Islamic Iran in the world arena, and the holding of this congress should be followed according to his scientific and intellectual status.
Motahari Asal also called for attention to holding an international congress in honor of Professor Shahriar and added: The proposal to hold this congress every five years has been made and it is necessary to pay attention to this issue to protect the literary and cultural status of Shahriar.
Referring to the themes of Shahriar's poems, he emphasized the role of this poet's works in promoting rationality, wisdom, love, friendship and world peace and requested the support of the government to hold this cultural event.
The necessity of explaining the role of central mosque in local governance
In another part of his speech, Imam Juma'a of Tabriz addressed the issue of neighborhood-centered and mosque-centered and said: These topics have been discussed before at the government level, but it seems that they have not been clearly explained to some of the national and provincial managers.
Referring to the neighborhood-centered issue plan and then emphasizing the mosque-centered issue, he demanded a more detailed description of the goals, mechanisms, and implementation of these approaches.
Motahari Asal stated: In order to realize these plans, it is necessary for the executive directors and political and social officials to have a common understanding of the duties and implementation methods so that cooperation between the government agencies and the social capacities of the neighborhoods can be formed.
He emphasized: It is not enough to simply outline these concepts, and its concrete results must be visible at the neighborhood level and related to people's issues.
Request to review the salary of government employees
Referring to the living conditions of employees and workers, the representative of Valifaqih in East Azerbaijan considered high inflation as one of the factors affecting the lives of these groups and demanded a review of the salaries of government employees.
He emphasized: the living conditions of employees and workers have been affected by the increase in prices, and it is necessary for the government to seriously pursue the issue of salary reform.
Motahari Asl especially emphasized on giving priority to the rights of teachers and armed forces and demanded the issuance of necessary orders to deal with this demand.
Friday Imam of Tabriz, referring to the issue of hijab and chastity, emphasized the need to pay attention to the religious values and cultural traditions of the society.
He stated that maintaining these values is linked to the foundation of the family and social issues, and requested the officials to pay attention to the policies and programs related to hijab and chastity.
Motahari Asal also emphasized the necessity of cooperation of government agencies in this field and considered the responsibility of part of the measures towards the executive groups and the other part related to the duties of cultural and social institutions.
East Azerbaijan; Extensive historical, economic and cultural capacities
In the final part of his speech, the representative of Wali Faqih in East Azerbaijan, referring to the historical background of Tabriz and Azerbaijan, described this region as having extensive economic, scientific, cultural and mineral capacities.
Referring to the long history of settlement and civilization in this region, he said: East Azerbaijan has had an important place in the field of trade and scientific and cultural activities for a long time, and its mineral resources and agricultural capacities have also played a role in the country's economy.
Motahari Asal described the people of this region as hardworking, hospitable and interested in Iran and added: Tabriz and Azerbaijan have always put part of their capacities and capabilities at the service of other regions of the country.
To explain the historical and cultural ties of Tabrizians with other cities, he pointed out the existence of a neighborhood attributed to Tabrizians in Isfahan and also signs of the cultural connection of Tabriz with the city of Ganja in the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Imam Juma of Tabriz emphasized the cultural and religious position of Azerbaijan, and emphasized the importance of Hosseini rituals and the historical heritage of this region.
The necessity of reflecting the position of Azerbaijan in government decisions
In summing up his speech to the President, Motahari Asal demanded that the capacities and historical, cultural, economic and social status of East Azerbaijan be properly taken into account in the decisions of the government and the cabinet.
He emphasized: Considering the extensive capacities of the province in various fields, it is expected that the decisions and plans of the government will be adopted in accordance with the abilities and status of the people of East Azerbaijan and the field of further utilization of these capacities will be provided.