Islam Times - Ayatollah Khamenei: US, West Seeking To Undermine Independence of States

Islam Times - Leader of the Islamic Revolution His Eminence Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei attributed the crisis in Ukraine to the expansion of the NATO, warning that the US and the West seek to expand their influence in different regions and strike a blow against the independence of nations.

Imam Khamenei made the remarks while receiving President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and an accompanying delegation in Tehran on Sunday.

Referring to the deep historical and cultural ties between Iran and Kazakhstan during the meeting, Imam Khamenei emphasized the need to expand cooperation between the two countries in various fields, particularly regional cooperation.

His Eminence also stressed that coordination in political and economic issues is necessary for the development of relations and underlined the need to start a joint commission, “The two sides must intensify their efforts to follow up on agreements and to implement them.”

Additionally, Imam Khamenei considered increasing cultural cooperation between Iran and Kazakhstan as an important issue, noting that "Farabi [Alpharabius], a Muslim philosopher and scholar with Kazakhstani origins whose works have been researched and studied in Iran for 1,000 years, can be considered a basis for cultural cooperation and the founding of a mutual scholarly committee between Iran and Kazakhstan."

His Eminence also elaborated on the Ukrainian situation: "Concerning the issue of Ukraine, the main problem is that the West is seeking to expand NATO wherever they can without taking anything into consideration."

“It is necessary to carefully monitor and examine matters and to be vigilant because the US and the West always seek to expand their influence in different regions, including in East and West Asia, as well as to strike a blow against countries’ independence and sovereignty.”

For his part, the President of Kazakhstan stated that: "We had very good talks with [Iranian President] Mr. Raisi and the documents signed by both sides can pave the way for the further expansion of relations between the two countries."

Tokayev emphasized that the historical and cultural commonalities between Iran and Kazakhstan had deep roots, Khamenei.ir reported.

Furthermore, he welcomed Imam Khamenei’s proposal for the establishment of a mutual scholarly committee on Farabi. He also expressed his views on regional issues and the situation in Ukraine, and explained the situation in his country after the failed coup attempt in January last year.