The Iranian Ambassador to The Gambia, Saeid Zare has said that criticism of Iran's uranium enrichment is a mere propaganda by big powers [the West] to confuse public opinion in the world.

Ambassador Zare was speaking at the opening ceremony of a-three-day training for farmers in rice production, milling and marketing using appropriate technologies at the ITC conference hall in Kerr Serign, Western Region.

"Iran's nuclear activities are just for peaceful purposes and my country will never misuse this technology. It is the right of every country to have nuclear technology and those who are members of the IAEA have the right actually to benefit from these facilities. It is really confusing why some countries can use this technology that others cannot use. This is not fair. We do not need any atomic bomb. The usage of mass destruction weapons is extremely forbidden in Islam. Nuclear technology can be used in many areas such as agriculture, medicine, universities, and scientific researches, amongst other things," he said.

He described Iran-Gambia relations as 'being in very good shape. "Thanks to the last year visit of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to The Gambia and in 2006 AU Summit which was a turning point. Since then, the relationship between the two countries became warmer and warmer day-by-day," he explained.

On the political front

According to the Iranian diplomat, The Gambia and Iran actually have common viewpoints in international issues. "The two countries have had advanced positions and common feeling towards the world of Islam and the global impoverished communities. We believe that the oppressed people of Africa and the continent as a whole have always been misused by big powers either in the past or in the present time," he stated.

He said the Iranian government is doing its best in trying to help its twin country, The Gambia, even though the support is sometimes different from the one Gambia may receive from other countries. "Our interest in The Gambia is just to help our brothers and sisters and to have a warmer relationship," he stated.

Education

Ambassador Zare spoke briefly on how The Gambia and Iran can cooperate in the area of education. He said: "We have good and highly qualified universities in Iran. We can work on this subject to connect those universities, with the one in The Gambia to exchange their professors and to send some students from this country to Iran to join Iran’s universities for education."

Agriculture

On agriculture, the Iranian diplomat opined that The Gambia has a high potential to achieve self-sufficiency in food. "I believe that the smiling coast of Africa (Gambia) needs more agricultural technologies to be mixed with the available manpower technology to produce more rice, fruits and other eatable foods," he said. "I pray that the Almighty God grants prosperity and success to both countries; the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of The Gambia," he concluded.