The following is the English translation of the interview with Ali Akbar Velayati, a top foreign policy adviser to Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei:
Question: What is your opinion on the China-Russia coalition standing against the West and the US?
Answer: That means we look at the direction that is rising. Now, we witness that the East has risen in different arenas, including India, China, Russia and other regional countries. We are among the few states standing against the US, while we continue our political life and have relations with other nations. So, what is the problem to have ties with countries like Russia, China and India? These states possess the technology and they have repeatedly accepted Iranians' demands contrary to the West, and they have provided us with their capabilities.
Question: What kind of messages do convey holding the seventh Astana summit in Tehran at the regional and international level?
Answer: Holding the summit following an ineffective and failed trip by [US President Joe] Biden to the region is a highly significant move that shows relationships among Turkey, Russia and Iran are genuine and growing. The difference of the trip [to Tehran] and Biden's trip is that his visit was doomed to fail from the beginning.
Question: Supreme Leader emphasized on the decline of the US and Western policies in the West Asia region. What are the signs and reasons of the US and West's decline in the region especially in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine?
Answer: 1- The US withdrew from Afghanistan after 20 years of invasion of the country under the pretext of removing Taliban and al-Qaeda. 2- Iraqi lawmakers seriously pursue a plan to push the US out of Iraq. 3- The failure of America's regional allies in Gaza and Yemen. 4- The West and certain regional states' failure in Syria.
Question: Supreme Leader underlined if the Russians did not take the initiative in the case of Ukraine, the other side would cause war, warning about NATO's expansionism. What are the sources of this opinion? What does NATO pursue in this respect?
Answer: One of the agreements between NATO and Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union was that none of the newly separated countries of the Soviet Union should join the organization but NATO did not respect that, and moreover, the US and Europe interfered in Ukraine's internal affairs to the extent that they supported several coups to install a pro-West government in Kiev, and that Ukraine's demand for membership in NATO was backed by the US and the European Union, which were in direct confrontation with NATO-Russia agreements.
Question: Iran's Leader stated in a meeting with the Turkish president that a military attack on northern Syria would be harmful for the region. How can you explain the statement?
Answer: Turkey equipped terrorists under the name of the Free Syrian Army, which could not bring about any fruit for the Turkish government. The best way is to pursue the presence of terrorist groups in northern Syria as well as negotiations among regional states while observing Syria's sovereignty.
Question: What is your opinion on the outlook of cooperation between Russia and Iran?
Answer: The strategic depth of ties between Russia and Iran could expand to the strategic level and the two countries are tasked to follow up the path. The fundamental principle of relationship among nations is determining common interests, and when it comes to Russia and Iran ties it can include abundant common interests.
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