Uprooted Palestinians are at the heart of the conflict in the M.E Palestinians uprooted by force of arms. Yet faced immense difficulties have survived, kept alive their history and culture, passed keys of family homes in occupied Palestine from one generation to the next.
Valentina Capurri is an Italian researcher with a Masters and Doctorate in history and a Masters in geography, living in Canada since coming here as a student in 2001.
She talks about her experience participating in an extended trial for medication for Multiple Sclerosis, comparing that experience to the recent roll-out of untested, experimental, Covid vaccines.
“When you’re testing a new medication, you cannot give it to people, arguing it is safe, if it has not gone through a very tight trial.
That’s why I knew, from the beginning, that with the vaccines, something was missing. Because lots of people in these 12 years where I was taking the medication, they had severe effects for MS, they would have benefited from the medication. And yet they were not able to access the medication for a reason: because you cannot give a medication whose effect—if everything goes wrong—can be worse than the cure.
This is something that happens with every medication. All vaccines go usually to a similar trial period. Once you allow people to take it, you test it on a select group of people for prolonged period of time. And none of this has been done in this particular case. So that’s what made me a little suspicious about what was going on.”
For the past nearly two years, she has not been able to see her neurologist, instead having phone consultations, essentially useless.
“In 2003, when we had SARS, I used to go once a month to the hospital. Despite the fact that SARS in 2003 had much higher mortality rate than Covid, we still were allowed to enter the hospital on a regular basis. None of our visits were cancelled back then as they are now.”
Like many others living under the new fascism in Canada and around the world, Valentina & her husband will lose their jobs for refusing, with good reason, to be injected with an experimental jab. And with that, they lose their incomes & ability to buy her MS medications.
“You are forcing me to lose my job, to lose my ability to support myself, just because I am exerting my right not to have an experimental medical procedure done on me.
This is worse than fascism, this is absolutely appalling.
I may actually remain without medication, because my husband is losing his job, I’m losing my job, we’ll have zero income. I have zero medical coverage, and I won’t be able to access my medication. That’s what you’re doing to save me?”
*
Do any of you still think these policies are about public health?
First it was not even a university, but Seneca College. Then it was the University of Ottawa. Then Carleton University, the University of Western Ontario, and the University of Toronto. Now it is almost every university in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The law faculty at McGill is also demanding it, presumably to save the university from expensive litigation (an implied threat, and one that strangely assumes that only one side of a debate can litigate in court). If it happens first in the United States, then almost immediately it is copied and pasted into policy in Canada. It is coming everywhere: mandatory vaccination for all faculty, staff, and students.
As a tenured, full Professor in Canada, it is my duty to encourage all faculty to be united in non-compliance with such measures.
Mandatory vaccination pressures are issued allegedly in accordance with “public health”. However, they are mandated through…
Segregating Canadians who choose not to get the experimental jab
Like many people around the world, as of mid-2021, I have had to come to terms with the sordid likelihood that the only way I will ever see my family again is online.
My country, Canada, has chosen to implement increasingly draconian and frankly unscientific policies in the name of ‘protecting’ people. What Canadian authorities are really doing is ensuring an uptake of the experimental jabs. Don’t want to take them? No worries, but you’re not welcome in Canada.
Recently, my RT colleague, Rachel Marsden, described her anguish at being forced to turn away from her country and family because Canada has decided it is the ‘science police’ and has decided which ‘science’ matters.
She wrote, “I committed the apparent violation of trying to re-enter my own country with proof of naturally acquired Covid-19 antibodies made by my own immune system post-recovery rather than those generated by the manmade Covid-19 vaccine about which much is still to be learned.” She noted that even her doctor had advised her against vaccination. But, for Canada, that is apparently irrelevant.
In an email, she explained that Canadian customs demand a positive PCR test taken more than two weeks ago and less than three months ago as proof of having had Covid, thus having immunity.
In her case, she didn’t have that positive PCR test because she didn’t notice symptoms at the time.
“Instead, my immunity was confirmed post-recovery via two laboratory tests for Covid antibodies taken nearly 5 months apart and proving that my Covid antibody levels are significant and also haven’t budged at all between the two tests. My doctor certified this result last month in a note with the heading, ‘Covid immunity certificate’.”
Marsden was ordered to comply with a three-day stay at one of Canada’s Covid internment hotels, costing roughly Can$2,000, plus two weeks’ quarantine. The other two options were to pay a roughly $6,000 fine if she simply walked out of the airport, or to book a flight back out of Canada – the cheapest option.
The anti-science aspect of Canada’s policies in refusing her natural immunity indicates that Canada is more interested in pushing vaccinations than public health.
And, as she wrote, “The Canadian government, by behaving in this manner, is routinely criminalizing those with Covid antibodies that are not derived from a manufactured experimental vaccine.”
Why I might never be able to return to Canada
When all of this started early last year, I had just left Canada for what I thought would be a maximum two-month absence. That has turned into over a year and a half. Perhaps at Christmas I could have tried to return for a visit. But with Ontario (winner of the longest lockdown) so unpredictable, I was dissuaded by the thought of getting stuck there.
Six months prior, I had given up my apartment and had my belongings put into storage. Being stuck in Ontario would have meant a whole slew of logistical problems. So, I opted to wait, hoping the lockdowns and quarantines would be lifted for a future visit.
That was my decision and I’ll have to live with it, and the realization that maybe I could have visited and seen my mother once more, but now I don’t see how that is going to be possible, the way Canada is heading.
Recently, travellers coming to Canada have been required, by law, to be vaccinated, which I have no intention of doing. My immune system is excellent. I spent half of last year walking around Damascus, including in extremely crowded marketplaces where there was no physical distancing and few masks. I did not get sick, and as such I am completely confident my own body could fight off Covid.
On the other hand, let’s assume I was exposed to Covid but did not suffer symptoms. According to Canada’s logic, and Rachel’s experience, my natural immunity would be void, because I did not obsessively get PCR tests every week in case I was positive (never mind that the test can give false positives).
Were I to be vaccinated, it would be with Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine. And although Sputnik V has been approved for use in 69 states and territories, Canada does not accept it, instead pushing Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson. I have no intention of taking any of those anytime soon, for good reason. My choice is not about being anti-vaccines, it is about being properly informed on the potentially serious risks the rushed experimental jabs being pushed on Canadians could pose.
Even the CBC reported on Canadians who are concerned about safety and side effects of vaccines, particularly the long term effects of the mRNA Covid shots, as they haven’t been put through years-long clinical trials. Pfizer, for example, hasn’t even been fully okayed by the US Food and Drug Administration. A point not emphasized enough, but which CBC inadvertently shed light on with its inclusion of a particular photo in its article, is the exemption vaccine makers have from liability.
We also learned in early August, according to the CDC, “Covid-19 vaccines no longer prevent transmission.” In Iceland, four out of five in intensive care for Covid-19 are fully injected. And around the world, there are examples of adverse reactions, injuries, and deaths post-jab that could at the very least give pause to many people, were these reactions covered in media in the same hysterical way everything else to do with Covid has been.
As reported (via data released by the CDC), “411,931 reports of adverse events from all age groups following COVID vaccines, including 6,985 deaths and 34,065 serious injuries between Dec. 14, 2020 and June 25, 2021.” This doesn’t mean that everyone who gets the jab will experience side-effects, but some will, and wishing to avoid that risk is a choice I should be free to make.
Furthermore, we have incessantly been told to “trust the science,” but one doesn’t need to be an ‘anti-vaxxer’ to see the way government scientists have been elevated to the status of secular bishops, and those who disagree with them are spurned like heretics, and be a tad suspicious that their convictions might not be as indisputable as they claim. There are numerous experts speaking out against the experimental jabs, including epidemiologists, immunologists, virologists, vaccine researchers, and even the former vice president of Pfizer.
Those are enough reasons and concerns for me to make the decision to not take the jabs but, in a sane world, my refusal to not take a vaccine for a disease with a 99% survival rate should not bar me from the country in which I was born and raised. None of this is to say that anyone who wants to take the vaccine shouldn’t do so, but whatever happened to “my body, my choice?”
Note by the Saker: considering the fact that the anti-COVID-Crusaders desperately want to peddle their theories on this blog (Ron Unz just got hit with over 1200 comments!!) I am not allowing comments under this (excellent) report by Mansoureh Tadjik. I apologize to Mansoureh and to all the sane readers: I am swamped with work, I am about to interview a very famous personality (in 2 weeks) and I have not time to deal with this paranoid Kindergarten. Kind regards, The Saker
A worldwide war against humanity has been waged with the help of lab-constructed silver biollets camouflaged as CoV and its progenies and biolistic missiles camouflaged as medicines and vaccines. To aid and abet in protecting the global public against health and life, the public itself was weaponized. The public was pitted against the public using fear as an affective device, ambiguity as non-random noise, intimidation of dissenting scientific voices to suppress signals, corrupt scientists as catalysts-synergists, and media as high-speed centrifuges. What an enriched world in which we live when we master the spin to deceive.
“Sometimes they would take us to wars; war against the people we did not know. And pulling our swords against those with whom we had no animosity, even against those who were our companions, our colleagues, and our fellow humans in faith and fate. These wars, as that sage once said, consisted of wars between two groups of people who were fighting without knowing one another for the benefit of those who were not fighting and knew each other very well.”[1]
-Ali Shariati in “Yah, Brother! This is How it Was.”
If I state the entire globe is now fully immersed in a grand anthropogenic fitna, I am not overstating. But there is silver lining and glad tidings: “They plot clever plots and God plots clever plots. Indeed, God is the Best Plotter.”[2]
More than a year ago, I submitted an article titled Calculated Assumptions and Prevention of “Scientifically Shattered” Societies to the Saker. In that article, I explained why initially assuming SARS-CoV-2 (CoV for short) as a bioweapon by decision-making bodies in the Islamic Republic of Iran was a prudent and necessary assumption. I also argued that a bioweapon need not be very lethal. It only needs to have enough destructive power to “scientifically shatter” public health, economic, and social infrastructures of the targeted nations. The Saker kindly posted that article with a note seasoned with clear warnings (see here).
Now, I would like to discuss how the Islamic Republic of Iran has solidly maintained the bioweapon assumption about CoV and broadened the scope to include additional components. Specifically, I would like to demonstrate: 1) How the view of bioweapon in Iran has evolved and expanded to include not only the CoV itself as a bioweapon but also medicines and vaccines that are linked to it. 2) How socio-political, economic, and public health complexities have necessitated the Iranians at various levels and organizations to adopt and implement a nuanced, multi-pronged, and complex approach in choosing the battles in which they engage within a rather complex global hybrid bio-media war.
1) Islamic Republic of Iran’s View on CoV, Drugs, and Vaccines as Bioweapons
Allow me to begin this section with a quote from Ayatullah Khamenei. It is extracted from a speech delivered last year on the occasion of 19th of Dey, to commemorate the Qom uprising against the Shah. The quote provides an overall framework for our discussion. He stated:
“Import of vaccines from [the US] America and Britain is forbidden. I have said this to the officials as well. Now, I am saying it in public. If [the US] Americans were able to produce vaccines, this disgraceful corona scandal would not have happened in their own country. A few days ago, in a span of 24 hours, they had 4,000 deaths. These people, if they knew how to make vaccines, if their Pfizer could have produced vaccines, why would they want to give it to us? Let them use it themselves so that they do not get so many excess deaths. The same goes for Britain.
There is absolutely no trusting them because they might send medicines to make the virus more widespread or more lasting. Or, they may even send some people under the cover of physicians/healers to find out the effects of this virus that it is said to have been partly engineered especially for Iran. This is how they compile and complete their information. Therefore, the [US] Americans’ words are unacceptable.”[3]
These words ring true to most Iranians. They are the words of a leader whose people have been the victims of nerve gas, mustard gas, cyanide, HIV-contaminated bloods, and an assortment of other nonconventional weapons courtesy of human-rights-loving countries such as the US, Britain, France, Germany, Holland, Spain, and Italy, and others like India, Egypt, Brazil, Luxembourg, Singapore, and China, the countries which provided these weapons and means of delivering them to Saddam. These statements are also the words of a nation that is surrounded by more than 25 level 4 and level 3 US biological weapons labs in its neighboring countries.
These concerns are legitimate and deep worries are appropriate for sure. However, do they go beyond reasonable assumptions based on patterns of behavior by a sworn enemy to show something more is going on? I would like to explore just that and show how most Iranians have come to believe they have been specifically targeted by CoV and its prophylactics. Regardless of whatever spillover effects or independent attacks may have occurred elsewhere, there are unusual events that require great attention and rigorous investigation.
On multiple occasions during the past couple of years, Ayatullah Khamenei has publicly conveyed similar pointed concerns which are often meant to serve as warnings, reminders, and emphasis to the public without causing too much panic. On another occasion, for example, he said:
“These [the US & Britain] are not trustworthy. I truly do not trust them. I have doubts. Sometimes they want to test these vaccines on other nations to see if it is effective or not. Therefore, no vaccines should be obtained from [the US] America and England. Of course, I do not trust France either because of what they did with those [HIV] contaminated bloods. Surely, if they want to obtain vaccines from other places that could be trusted, it should not be a problem.”[4]
Those who closely follow Ayatullah Khamenei’s speeches know he never speaks based on hunches, random guesses, and empty rhetoric. On issues the general public must be made aware and warned without creating public panic and chaos but evidence and details cannot be publicized, that is exactly how he, the Leader, speaks. Those inside and outside of Iran who are in tune with his guidance know his style and would know what to do.
I would like to insert a side note and say that I am well aware a lot of information escapes the Western media due to their excellent policies on freedom of press, people, and parleys, but I find it rather curious that on the global scene and after a period of relative hush in the Western media, articles are now appearing in some mainstream circles in the West again that bring the bioweapon question to the fore and nudge it to gain more traction. It would be interesting to question and analyze the pattern and timing of these questions and the motives behind them.
Back to Iran. There is an agency in Iran called Sazmane Padafande Ghairs Amel, the Agency for Passive Defense. It was initially set up as a center within the armed forces in 1980s during Iraq-Iran war to deal with nonconventional attacks using biological and chemical agents after Saddam had used them on the Iranians. The center was later expanded to include other bio weapons (against crops and livestock), radioactive, environmental, cyber, economic, and more. It is now a full-blown agency. One of the responsibilities of the agency is to conduct non-armed operations to strengthen deterrence capabilities and reduce the nation’s vulnerabilities in case of above-mentioned unconventional threats and attacks, and to mitigate the outcomes should such attacks occur. Naturally, surveillance is a non-stop and ongoing responsibility of this agency.
The agency greatly intensified its activities several months prior to the first observed and verified corona cases and deaths in Qom on Bahman 30th 1398 [Feb. 19, 2020]. In fact, the agency had intensified its activities even before China officially announced their outbreak. About two weeks after the first hospitalizations and deaths in Qom, Sardar Jalali, the head of the Padafande Ghair Amel Agency explained, in an interview conducted by Fars News Agency, how they had been operating under an “alert” status since they had received reports of initial outbreaks in China and had sent written warnings to various organs including the Ministry of Interior. He further stated in the interview specific lab studies were required to determine if the virus was a biological weapon or not. Below is an excerpt of some key points he raised in his interview:
“Based on analytic, strategic, and intelligence indications and evidence, the source of spread of corona links back to the enemy. Technical proof of that, however, requires lab reviews and comparisons between the initial genome recorded for the virus and the results from studies of the new genomes in terms of the types of deliberate changes made on the virus.”
“But we must also pay strict attention that the foreign-supported media are trying to induce public panic and portray a non-functional public health system in order to make people feel helpless and beleaguered. Playing political games, playing with statistics, and false additions and subtractions, falsely placing religion in opposition to people’s health, and more are a few examples of operations in psychological war front in the enemy’s media that must be attended to by the people and media activists.”[5]
Gradually, additional findings were made public. They added to suspicions: The virus strain in Qom was different from the one in Wuhan, China.[6] So, the spread could not have occurred by travelers, Chinese scholars in Qom seminaries, or pilgrims. Besides, had that been the case, we should have also seen cases in Mashhad the city which similarly has travelers, scholars, and pilgrims from China. In addition, all airports and official border crossings were on high alert and were applying quarantine rules to anyone whom they suspected to be a carrier.
There was another interesting finding as well. In one of their early reports to the parliament, the Ministry of Health informed the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of Majlis that several confirmed corona cases had been identified in Gilan, one of Iran’s northern provinces but that the strain of virus there was different from that of Qom and even different from that of Wuhan.[7] The probability the virus (regardless of it being natural or engineered) could evolve into three different strains at such rapid rate in normal populations is nil. In Hollywood perhaps. But not in the real world. So, the null hypothesis of no relationship between each two of these three virus strains would stand with high confidence.
On the political front, other events were occurring. On Esfand 12, 1398 [March 2, 2020], Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sent two letters, one to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, and another to World Health Organization’s Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. In parts of the letter to Secretary General Guterres, he stated:
“Today it has become evident to everyone that the likes of mutated and smart corona virus 2019 that are engineered products of laboratories, or more appropriately they should be labeled arsenals for biological wars belonging to some global domineering powers, are far more inhumane, destructive, and terrorizing than other inhumane weapons like nuclear, chemical, and HARP.”
“It is expected from Your Excellency in the position of secretary general of the United Nations:
1) To vigorously condemn this anti-human action of the global criminals who have imposed a biologic war on nations with the aim of domination and you must not allow the agents of these crimes to realize their political and economic goals through cover ups and gain immunity from criminal justice investigation by the United Nations.
2) With special sensitivity, to identify and deal decisively with those who globally produce and use biological weapons. Indifference and lack of serious counter measures against them will lead to a destruction of relations among countries and nations and will critically threaten all nations’ existence.
3) To formulate and submit to the United Nations’ general assembly a reform plan to strengthen the convention in manufacturing and use of biological weapons with the aim of forbidding any research, development, and establishment of laboratories to manufacture, store, and use biological weapons at any level.”[8]
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad holds an official position in the Expediency Council (Shoraye Tashkhis Maslahat Nezam). However, he signed the letters to UN and WHO officials not as the member of that council but as ex-president of the Islamic Republic of Iran. At any rate, in his letter to the Director General of WHO he wrote (I quote):
“It is possible that weaknesses and shortcomings by officials in various countries in performing their duties to protect the health of their public greatly impact the spread of the disease and exact irreparable damages but that is up to the nations to judge. However, we must not allow the owners of labs that produce and spread this virus and t those who impose biologic wars on nations to be absolved of their culpabilities.”
“Today, the Iranian nation, despite selfless, diligent, and tireless work by the medial establishments and personnel who are fighting this aggressive and wild phenomenon, are suffering grave damages and incurring heavy costs. But we must anticipate and predict greater number of mortalities and heavy economic costs related to other nations in the near future. Therefore, it is of utmost importance and it is expected of Your Excellency and your organization to put the protection of human society at the forefront of your critical tasks. You must: 1) Provide immediate equipment, medical, and treatment assistance to the affected countries, especially the weaker nations, to prevent the spread; 2) Immediately identify the source, the production labs, and the spreading agents of this virus and other entities that support biological ward and expose them to the global society.”
“It is evident that public, transparent, and impartial information about the agents of these crimes against humanity play critically important role in control and use of this weapon against humanity. I have no doubt that with a mobilization of all nations and governments, the human society would isolate the perpetrators of these crimes and would cleanse the humanity of thoughts of aggression and oppression.”[8]
While I commend Mr. Ahamadinejad for his efforts, I think he must study the role the UN and WHO have historically played and are currently playing as vectors and catalysts for the very powers and interests he is asking them to hold accountable. They are the water-carriers for the Empire and its corrupt investors.
In a follow-up interview during a special news report conducted with Sardar Jalali, the head of Padafande Ghair Amel Agency (introduced above) on Esfand 20, 1398 [March 10, 2020], he provided an update and made additional information public:
“From the beginning to the end of Bahman [My note: about one month before the 1st case in Qom], we gave four commands to every single one of the provinces so that they conduct the operations commensurate with specific existing conditions. A mandate was issued by the head of armed forces every governor in every province was appointed as the commander of the bio base and the head of the revolutionary guard for each province as his vice commander.”
“At that time, around 5th to 10th of the month of Bahman, we sent special teams to the airports to monitor passengers to and from foreign destinations to verify and control the situation. We prepared and sent the reports to the Defense Ministry and put an order to produce thermometers.”
“In this area, 60 percent of the atmosphere is created by the media. Using the media, they influence and affect people and various industries. For example, a new network like BBC produces 120 programs altogether but 80 of those programs are related to Iran. Internally, too, a negative atmosphere has formed. Of course, to become certain this is a biological war, we must gain certainty through the studies conducted on the virus in the labs.”[9]
On Esfand 21, 1998 [March 11, 2020], a report published by the Center for Research in National Defense and Strategic Studies stated that “major parts of corona virus demonstrate unique characteristics of a biological war.”[10] On Esfand 28, 1398 [March 18, 2020], a letter was written to six heads of neighbor states of Iran signed by one hundred and two (102) Iranian physicians working in the fields of infectious diseases, asthma, allergies, upper and lower respiratory infections, and virology. The six heads of states addressed in the letter were those of Afghanistan, Georgia, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Pakistan. In that letter, after providing background information on the United States bioweapon research, development, manufacturing, and use, these physicians asked these heads of states to take every action to destroy the United States Military’s Level 4 labs in their respective countries and to evict the United States from their soil before they have exacted more damage to the people of the entire region.[11]
A television interview was conducted by Sardar Pour Jamshidian, the vice commander in charge of coordinating military forces of the Revolutionary Guard on Farvardin 12, 1399 [March 31, 2020]. He had been asked if this disease was indeed due to a biological war why the Europeans and the [US] Americans themselves had been so badly affected by it. He provided a simple and straightforward answer:
“For questions of this nature, I have to say only this: the [US] American officials clearly and unambiguously state they are the creators of Daesh [ISIS]. Now, they themselves and the Europeans are pestered by these terrorists.”[12]
In other words, the cowboys have this propensity to shoot from the hip and in the process, they get others and themselves into trouble. On Farvardin 17, 1399 [April 5, 2020], Sardar Jalali participated in another extensive interview and brought of call for action on four areas:
“1) Establishment of a fact-finding committee consisting of independent nations and free of influence by the US and others to independently investigate the origin and spread of the virus.
2) Inspection and investigation into the suspected labs and preparing accurate and detailed reports.
3) Establishing protocols and international review and oversight committees to monitor the United States’ 25 level 3 and level 4 labs.
4) Formation of an international campaign to close down all biological weapons research labs that are currently operating without oversight and accountability in various countries. A sense of international threat regarding these labs should become a serious global demand.”[13]
Announcements, dynamic analytic discussions, and specific activities regarding high likelihood of CoV, related drugs and vaccines to be bioweapons abundant. Equally abundant are the closure of social media accounts and censorship of any claims in that regard. Persian-language Independent, bred, fed, and raised by Britain, had the following in its report on January 9, 2021:
“Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, yesterday, Friday the 19th of Dey, in a speech by name Pfizer vaccines produced by [US] America said that he does not trust the [US] America and Britain in the area of vaccine production. Not long after Ali Khamenei’s speech, the spokesperson for Iran’s Red Crescent announced that importing of 150 thousands doses of corona vaccine manufactured by Pfizer has been cancelled.”
“After the announcement by the leader of the regime ruling Iran regarding vaccines produced by the [US] America and Britain, Twitter removed his claim from all of his twitter accounts in English, Arabic, Spanish, Russian, and French. Ali Khamenei had claimed in that tweet that “if [US] America was able to produce vaccines, this corona disgrace would not have happened to it.”[14]
Okay. The English-, Arabic-, Spanish-, Russian-, and French-speaking Twitter account holders should now sleep peacefully. Twitter is awake and protecting their rights not to know. Discussions in Iran are diverse, vibrant, and in abundance. The sample I have presented should give you an overall sense about the themes on CoV, drugs, and vaccines.
2) Iran’s Choice of Battles in a Complex Bio-Media War
It is reasonable to assume that various independent socio-political nations and systems formulate (or at least should be able to formulate) their customized approaches to the question of CoV, drugs, vaccines, treatments, and various protocols based on factors that are best suitable for the health and wellbeing of their respective nations and institutions. Before I discuss the Islamic Republic of Iran as a case example in this regard, I must be transparent with my own assumptions since those assumptions greatly affect what and how I choose and discuss the evidences I present.
Personally and as a matter of professional practice, I remain open and critical of all information and evidence (old and new) about matters related to health and diseases – including CoV, vaccines, types of treatments, etc. Firstly, that is my job. Secondly, it is because science, like all other human endeavors and products, is incomplete, ever-changing (both evolving and devolving), ever-informing as well as “ever-dis-informing”, and extremely vulnerable to corruption. When there are solid evidence of corruption and unethical behavior, as it is with CoV and its vaccines, it becomes critically important to become more critical.
If the information presented about CoV, drugs, and vaccines were all true or all false, things would have been so much simpler and easier to discuss. What makes this matter extremely complicated, and a real global fitna, is the fact that true information and false information have been so skillfully and craftily interwoven and entangled that by the time one has demonstrated this mixing, one has lost the attention of a majority in the general public.
There is a sort of worrisome pattern here that could not have emerged randomly and haphazardly. The public for its part, regardless of the side any segment of the population has taken, was hurriedly ushered into isolated and controlled conditions. Under such conditions, having an affective visceral response instead of a patiently-examined-and-measured response was a foregone conclusion. So, this is another type of unconventional war that must be fought in a manner that the public is not fractured, divided, and pitted against one another for the benefit of a few corrupt entities. Doing this requires excellent leadership skills and padafande gheyre Amel.
In this section, I would like to highlight Iran’s experience with two specific areas of concern, a) Vaccines; and b) Risk Communication, as examples.
a) Vaccines.
Currently, there is valid, reliable, and disturbing evidence regarding several of the CoV et al vaccines as well as various drugs used as treatment on masses of people around the world at an alarming rate and quantity. To all these, we must add a legacy in Iran of the Western and West-supported atrocities of rather deadly kinds. Therefore, for the Iranians, you could triple and quadruple those worries.
The Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatullah Khamenei, and the health experts around him are very well aware of those data and findings. The data and the information that most people (including a lot of people who follow this blog) access that ring alarm bells are accessible to his health experts and advisors, too. Furthermore, the health experts that surround the leader are quite capable and astute in collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data and they very well see the worrying signs that others see and more.
So, I would like to press this point that as a nation, we must consider three things simultaneously:
1) What we know to be true or about lies and deceptions are skillfully and systematically fed to the global public about CoV and vaccines.
2) What possible covert bio-attacks we, the Iranians especially the notable personalities, might be served on the side but billed as a “global thing”.
3) The realities on the ground, an assessment of what we can realistically and safely achieve with the least amount of social and political disruptions, chaos, costs, and insecurity in the public and among the populations.
The quantity and quality of global disinformation, of powerful and well-resourced army of dis-informers who are, as we say, shamelessly “darideh,” –that is, those have no reservation in tearing apart any and all moral and ethical codes of conduct and boundaries—are beyond any single country or leader to taken on single handedly.
I have said this before (elsewhere): under current circumstances, no world leader could socially and politically keep his population intact and prevent fracturing of his nation in face of a barrage of well-coordinated and well-crafted media attacks they would suffer from within and from without should he take concrete stance to question the CoV and vaccines at this climate. It does not matter who it is: Ayatullah Khamenei or some other leader. Why? Because majority of the populations around the world live on a diet of 24/7 fear that is scheduled to mutate at regular intervals in a non-desensitizing ‘waves’ and manners through media outlets. As I said at the beginning, the public has been weaponized.
I do not know about other countries media and propaganda capacities. But I do know that the Islamic Republic of Iran has difficulty keeping a single English-language TV news channel running seamlessly on the internet. The reason is quite obvious: a lack of independent cyber infrastructure. As I said in the previous section, even simple statements in that regard get purged from the Leader’s Twitter account. In return, 199 Persian language channels and multiple social media networks work around clock to bombard the Iranian public with disinformation.
The statement of Ayatullah Khamenei made (quoted in the previous section) that was removed by Twitter was not even about questioning CoV or vaccines. It was about untrustworthiness of specific manufacturers and countries who have really nasty track records and we have concrete proof of their criminal behavior.
It might be interesting for you to know that after that speech, nearly one hundred ninety nine 24-hour Persian language TV channels, a whirlwind of poisonous social media channels spewed lies non-stop. The Iranian public’s peace of mind went on a rollercoaster ride for weeks with false dichotomies such as “health” versus “politics”, “vaccination” versus “no vaccinations”, “science” versus “ignorance”, and you name it. Thanks to Nofoozies, the infiltrators and internal mouthpieces synchronized their messages with hostile foreign media.
So, what would be the wisest, most logical, and prudent steps be for countries like the Islamic Republic of Iran and leaders like Ayatullah Khamenei to take? Should they dedicate enormous amounts of resources to counter the flood of propaganda to ward off fear and insecurity? Or, should they use the circumstances to further develop their public health and Padafande Ghayre Amel infrastructure while maintaining unity among the people and gradually de-weaponizing the public? The whole truth (not bits and pieces of it) will eventually come out. Meanwhile, however, as I said, it is about choosing one’s battle while, of course, remaining alert and vigilant.
The Islamic Republic of Iran, by Grace of God, has chosen the latter track for now. Simplistic interpretation of things could be misleading. Less than a couple of months ago, the Iranian Leader received an Iranian vaccine, “CovIran Barakat,” which uses the inactivated virus (of the varieties that has circulated in the Iran) and is completely manufactured by the Iranian scientists inside Iran.
After receiving the 1st dose, Ayatullah Khamenei said,
“From long ago, they were insisting I get vaccinated. I was not interested in using non-Iranian vaccines and told so to friends and others who were insisting. I told them I would wait until Inshallah the country’s own vaccine is produced and I would use our own vaccine. We must appreciate this national honor in the truest sense of the word. It is very important when we have the possibility to prevent or heal an illness inside the country, to do so. why not?”
“That was one reason I did not agree to get vaccinated. Besides, I told them, I would like to get vaccinated in the allotted time; that is when the vaccine is being distributed in the country and is the turn for my age group. Well, Alhamdullilah, the old folks around my age – eighty years and above—most of them now have received the vaccine. Some may have still not received it but we are receiving it around the same time. That’s why it was delayed until today.”[15]
From within those few lines, one could extract a thousand lessons. But that would be beyond the scope of this article. As far as vaccines are concerned, nudge the public in the direction they are leaning (or are being directed). Give them a choice of vaccines that has the least amount of harm and unknown or worrying long-term effects.
b) Risk Communication
Risk communication is not as straightforward and easy task anywhere in the world. But in the Islamic Republic of Iran, it is particularly complex. To illustrate this, I would like to revisit a couple of segments from two separate interviews by Sardar Jalali’s statements of which I quoted earlier:
“In this area, 60 percent of the atmosphere is created by the media. Using the media, they influence and affect people and various industries. For example, a new network like BBC produces 120 programs altogether but 80 of those programs are related to Iran. Internally, too, a negative atmosphere has formed. Of course, to become certain this is a biological war, we must gain certainty through the studies conducted on the virus in the labs.”[9]
“But we must also pay strict attention that the foreign-supported media are trying to induce public panic and portray a non-functional public health system in order to make people feel helpless and beleaguered. Playing political games, playing with statistics, and false additions and subtractions, falsely placing religion in opposition to people’s health, and more are a few examples of operations in psychological war front in the enemy’s media that must be attended to by the people and media activists.”[5]
So, how do you, for instance, communicate to a nation that it may have been the target of a biological weapon that is transmitted like a flu but they should not panic? How would you advise them to take care of their ill family members but keep their distance? What do you suggest to them when their religious and cultural beliefs obligate them to provide care to parents, grandparents, close kin, neighbors, and more but you are following protocols that are devised by entities that have no sense of religious and cultural obligations, family and kinship, and duty to one’s neighbor? How do you tell them to hold together a severely-sanctioned economy and prevent it from shattering yet they should not leave their homes?
Well, for countries and nations that have strict hierarchies and rules in place, and their populations have been mostly conditioned to follow those strict rules, you impose coercive public health measures and you order everyone to follow. For those nations, it would not be viewed as coercive but as “how things are.”
However, for a country like the Islamic Republic of Iran which has a completely different worldview, values, and belief system, such approach is neither desirable nor acceptable. For us, a participatory public health and mass mobilization approach are appropriate and effective. So, you get the Basijies involved and you help people find a balance between competing obligations in the best way that is appropriate for them despite what poison the enemies spew from their loudspeakers.
Of course, watching how the whole CoV thing turned into a global phenomenon had a calming effect on many. Whatever this was/is, at least it caused the world systems to make a public spectacle of themselves.
Final Food for Thought
In the past few months, with the exception of around presidential election time, the topic most repeatedly requested of me to discuss has been CoV and vaccines. Each audience has been different from the other in terms of socio-economic background, profession, and education. Teachers, university students and professors, religious scholars in seminaries, and the general public.
Interestingly, regardless of the diverse audiences’ backgrounds, I have observed three different view clusters: Those who have positive views about vaccines (including CoV’s), those who have negative views, and those who are unsure. To keep peace and manage to finish my talk, I have had to adapt. I start with the basics and gradually build layer upon layers. Most in all three groups end up gaining a nuanced view which leads to a less divided crowd. If the public is to be pitted against the public, then passive defense dictates that we try to bridge the gap and patiently disentangle the truths from untruths.
This is where I have had to start: The first question to consider is this: are vaccines safe? The correct answer is “no.” No vaccine is ever safe. If anyone says otherwise, that means s/he does not know the science of vaccines. In fact, vaccines are used because they induce particular diseases. So, the real concern is never about the non-existing safety of vaccines but about a comparison between the harms caused by given infectious diseases should individuals be exposed to that actual disease versus short-, medium-, and long-term harms caused by their respective vaccines.
Is this in itself a bad thing? Not necessarily. Various human societies have known for millennia that weaker and “weathered” versions of some very frightening diseases could induce milder forms of that disease and they have used this experiential knowledge in traditional medicine. In the simplest form, for example, when someone had chicken pox, ordinary people would wait about a few weeks or so, get some of the dried-up blisters and rub it into the nose of their children who had not gotten small pox before. They knew this somehow would immunize their kids.
Iranians, especially those well-versed in traditional medicine, know and understand this well.
But, here is how things go astray: profitability and industrial production of vaccines have become the driving force behind both the quality and the quantity of vaccines as well as the number of diseases for which people are forcefully “educated” and “encouraged” to get vaccinated. At the global level, these industries have used apparently “international” organizations as tools and means to their own ends.
Regarding CoV vaccines, I provide the audience with information about different types of vaccines and evidence on which ones might cause the least harm, which might cause the most harm, and which ones are scientifically considered worldwide experiments. I add the trustworthiness and untrustworthiness of indigenous versus imported vaccines for the Iranians. Then, tease apart vaccines imported from hostile versus non-hostile nations. Then, I go into vaccines from non-hostile nations that sub-contract and manufacture vaccines for hostile nations and sell it to us as third parties. I then discuss the process of quality assurance and random tests (or lack thereof) for imported medicinal products.
At any rate, “…and pulling our swords against those with whom we had no animosity, even against those who were our companions, our colleagues, and our fellow humans in faith and fate,” is not constructive and it is, in fact, counterproductive. Sardar Mohammad Zahrai, the Head of the Construction Basij recently said,
“The soft dimension of passive defense is the biologic and bio-terrorism wars. Spreading of infectious diseases that the Global Domination system has leveled against the countries is of this type. Once it was HIV, anthrax, etc. They were saying, ‘we must maintain our economic edge. The Global Domination, to preserve that edge, must have a balance in human power in the form of cheap labor.’ So, they have no reservation. With these sorts of attacks with infectious diseases, they are after either killing the population of a nation or deactivate and inactivate its active people. So, from this perspective, too, in the types of diseases and attacks, in contaminating waters, in genetically manipulating agricultural crops, or in any other area, they can do this. For instance, they say, ‘We have created the vaccine.’ Then, when it is used not only does it not cure the disease, it creates additional problems.”
“The fabric of Padafand Ghire Amel [the passive defense] in the Islamic Republic system is of the resistance by people in all arenas and domains. We have specific capitals that belong and are unique to this holy system of Islamic Republic of Iran.”
I conclude this essay by a saying a few words about those whom I consider colleagues in this field of public health and health research. There is currently a worldwide war with parallel and inter-connected battles in many countries around the world especially in the West between 3 types of health experts and health research scientists: a) those experts and scientists who are observing some very disturbing data and speaking up about them and urging others to be very cautious at the cost of losing their jobs and being harassed; b) those exports and scientists who are part of and beneficiaries of the propagated view; and c) those experts and scientists who just want to mind their own business and do the best they can under the circumstances. Some among this last group state a lot of concerns in private but remain silent in public.
I personally do not believe this battle is between science and knowledge versus “un-science” and ignorance. Rather, it is about good and rigorous science versus corrupt and co-opted science, and the general public is forced to divide and fight a battle that is, by all accounts, the responsibility and obligation of the scientists to do.
References
[1] Shariati, Ali. “Yah, Brother! This is How it Was.” Speech in Husseinieh Ershad on 1350/8/18, in Electronic version (in Farsi), Page 5. ChapPakhsh Publishing, Available online at: http://Shariati.Nimeharf.Com
[5] Fars News Agency, “Sardar Jalali: Proof of corona being a biological weapon requires lab reviews.” Esfand 13th, 1398 [March 3, 2020]. Accessed online at: http://fna.ir/dfirqk
[6] Khabar Online: Analytical News Agency of Iran. “Corona Virus in Gilan and Qom Different from Wuhan’s/The Possibility of a US Biological Attack Gained Strength.” Esfand 19, 1398 [March 9, 2020] @14:32. News Code: 1362522.
[7] Tabnak Professional News Site. “Member of Parliament: Existence of two corona viruses with two different origins in the country.” Esfand 19th, 1398 [March 9, 2020] @ 15:05. News Code: 964666.
[8] Iranian Environments News Base. “Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s letter to UN Secretary General about Corona. Second Letter Destined to WHO was written.” Esfand 12, 1398 [March 2, 2020] @ 5:15. News Code: 346262.
[9] Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA). “We do not know definitively the bioweapon status of corona.” Esfand 21, 1398 [March 11, 2020] @12:05. News Code: 98122116188.
[10] News Division for University and Leading Center for Research in National Defense and Strategic Studies, “Major parts of corona virus demonstrate unique characteristics of a biological war.” Esfand 21, 1998 [March 11, 2020], at 12:27pm. News Code: 315.
[11] Khabar Online News Site. “Letter by more than 100 physicians for the destruction of all [US] American biological weapons labs in the region.” Esfand 28, 1398 [March 18, 2020] @ 12:06. News Code: 1366487
[12] Paydari Melli, Center for Information on Padafand Ghayre Amel. “Using Modern War Tools to Combat Corona.” Farvardin 13, 1399 [April 1, 2020] @ 12:14. News Code 58031.
[13] Paydari Melli, Center for Information on Padafand Ghayre Amel. “The United States of America is the main accused in Biological Threats to the World/the Need for Establishment of a Fact-Finding Committee.” Farvardin 17, 1399 [April 5, 2020] @15:16. News Code: 58084.
[14] Independent-Persian. “Claim about possible “biologic attack” by use of foreign vaccines.” Saturday, Dey 20, 1399 or January 9, 2021 @22:15. Accessed online at: https://www.independentpersian.com/
[16] Paydari Melli, Center for Information on Padafand Ghayre Amel. “Passive Defense: the Strategy to Save Infrastructures at the Time of Crisis.” Aban 9, 1399 [October 30, 2020] @16:46. News Code: 61350.
This year’s forum, with the theme A Collective Reckoning of the New Global Economic Reality, is one of the biggest events since the start of the pandemic. Heads of state and government, heads of major Russian and international associations, companies and banks, leading experts and politicians are taking part in discussions at the SPIEF in person or via videoconference.
* * *
Stanislav Natanzon, plenary session moderator: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.
I am happy to welcome you all at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum.
This is the first global event of this level that people are attending in person, or at least it is a ‘hybrid’ event, to use the new buzzword. In any case, it is good to see you again. I think we have quite a backlog of topics for discussion, and I really hope the conversation today will be vibrant, frank and intense.
By tradition, we will first give the floor to the leaders and then we will have a discussion.
Mr President, please, you are the first to have the floor.
President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Your Highness Emir Tamim, Mr Federal Chancellor Kurz, ladies and gentlemen, friends,
I welcome all the participants and guests of the 24th St Petersburg International Economic Forum.
As you know, since the beginning of last year, most meetings at many traditional venues have been cancelled or were attended remotely because of the pandemic. We are happy that after this long break, Russia is hosting the first major international business event and providing a platform for representatives of the global business community to communicate with each other, not only using modern telecommunications, but directly. At the same time, we have certainly done our best to ensure the participants’ safety and adopted the most stringent sanitary protocols.
I repeat, the very fact that this massive forum is being held is certainly a positive sign. This once again shows that partner-like ties and contacts between entrepreneurs, investors and experts are gradually becoming customary and normal once again.
We are also witnessing the same positive global economic trends. Despite the all-out 2020 slump that, according to experts, was the greatest since World War II, one can already safely say that the global economy is returning to normal. The global GDP is expected to post unusually high growth rates this year, the biggest rise since the 1970s. As you know, experts are talking about six percent growth.
This, of course, was an effect of the large-scale and extraordinary decisions made by economic authorities worldwide. By the way, practice showed that traditional monetary policy measures would not be enough to overcome the current crisis. The budgetary policy that was actively supported by central banks in developing countries for the first time has played a key role in the rapid economic recovery.
We should understand that leading economies have many resources and tools for stimulating business activity. The statistics speak for themselves: In 2020, industrial countries’ budget deficits increased by an average of ten percent of their GDPs, while in developing countries, the growth was about five percent. And we know that these budget deficits largely finance anti-crisis measures. Of course, it is good that such solutions are available, and this is, certainly, a positive aspect. Unfortunately, there are also some negative sides to this.
As a result, we can see that global economic recovery is proceeding unevenly, given the different capabilities of different countries. This is fraught with greater disproportions and wider gaps in living standards both within certain countries and between them. And this breeds serious political, economic and social risks for the development of the modern interdependent world and for our common security. I have already spoken about this at the World Economic Forum in Davos this past January.
A case in point is our efforts to fight the pandemic. Unless we ensure broad, universal access to coronavirus vaccines on all continents, the threat of the pandemic, its new outbreaks will remain with us. Pockets of infection will survive, posing a threat to the entire planet.
What do we see now? According to the IMF, countries with a high level of income and 16 percent of the world’s population have access to 50 percent of the vaccines produced. As the result, only 10 percent of the world’s population have been fully vaccinated or received the first jab, whereas hundreds of millions of people have no access to vaccines simply because their countries do not have the required technology, production facilities or money to buy the vaccines. And the assistance being provided to these countries by those who can afford to do it has been negligibly small so far.
Regrettably, as the saying goes, it is every man for himself in the fight against the coronavirus on the global scale. The necessary volume of assistance is not being provided where it is badly needed now, or, which is absolutely absurd, politically motivated bans are imposed on the purchase of tested and effective vaccines that have been proved to be completely reliable. In the current situation this looks like unwillingness to protect one’s own citizens from this threat. This is indeed taking place; we have seen this happen.
As you know, Russia is contributing to the efforts against the coronavirus. We have created four vaccines, and these achievements of our scientists have been recognised throughout the world. For example, Sputnik V has been registered in 66 countries with a combined population of over 3.2 billion.
I would like to point out specifically that we have not only created unique technologies and promptly launched vaccine production in Russia, but we are also helping our foreign partners localise their manufacturing as well. So far, Russia is the only country doing this.
As I have already mentioned, today every adult in Russia can receive a vaccine in maximally comfortable conditions, voluntarily and free of charge. I would like to use this occasion to once again urge our citizens to make use of this opportunity to protect themselves and their loved ones. As I have said, the Russian vaccine has been declared the safest and most effective vaccine in the world, with an efficacy of over 96 percent. According to our regulatory bodies, not a single death has been reported among those who received the vaccine. I have already said this, and I can judge from my own experience: you can get a small fever, and this is the only side effect, while the protection is very strong.
In addition, I would like to ask the Government, regions and business to work jointly on the vaccination of people who come to Russia as migrant labourers. Many of them work in our construction industry, in trade and services, as well as in housing and utilities.
The domestic pharmaceutical industry is ready to continue increasing the production of vaccines. We fully meet our own requirements and can give foreigners an opportunity to come to Russia for vaccination. Given the efficiency of our vaccines, I know that the demand for them is high. Moreover, it is now common practice for people from various countries, including entrepreneurs, heads of large European and other companies, to make special trips to Russia to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.
In this context, I would like to ask the Government to analyse all aspects of this issue before the end of this month so as to organise paid vaccination for foreigners in this country, taking into account, of course, security requirements and sanitary control.
Colleagues,
Obviously now, at the stage of post-crisis recovery it is important not only to ensure sustainable growth but also to benefit from the emerging opportunities and effectively develop competitive advantages as well as the scientific and technological potential. In the process, it is very important to preserve and strengthen business and investment ties between countries.
Multilateral projects are primarily capable of reviving and developing the global economy and we are grateful to our partners for the cooperation that is continuing during the epidemic and despite the difficult situation in international relations.
Incidentally, I would like to tell you in this connection that the laying of the first line of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline was completed today, two and a half hours ago. The work on its second line continues.
In fact, the line pipe, including the offshore section, has been laid. The pipe in Germany is in place. Now parts of the pipe must be lifted and welded on the Russian side. That is all. Anyway, pipe laying is over.
The readiness of the Russian line of the gas route to the Slavyanskaya compressor station was also ensured this week. Why am I talking about this? Because this station is one of the most powerful compressor facilities in the world and is a point of departure for the new gas pipeline. Slavyanskaya has been supplied with gas.
To sum up, Gazprom is ready to fill Nord Stream 2 with gas. This route will create direct links between the Russian and German systems and will ensure energy security and reliable gas supplies for the Europeans, like Nord Stream 1. I must add that this project is profitable economically and fully conforms to the most stringent environmental and technical requirements.
We are ready to implement similar high-tech projects with our European and other partners in the future, and we hope that the logic of mutual benefit and mutual profit will inevitably prevail over all sorts of artificial barriers in the current political environment.
Now allow me to say a few words about some of the priorities on our domestic business agenda.
Thanks to the prompt and timely measures taken, the Russian economy and labour market are already approaching their pre-crisis levels. We have managed to save millions of jobs and avoid a sharp drop in people’s incomes. True, we have encountered problems. Unemployment increased and real incomes declined; we all know this. But none of that was anywhere near the disaster that could have happened, given the circumstances. That, at least, we have managed to avoid.
We have prevented a sharp drop in incomes, as I said. Our decisions to support businesses, workers, and regions have worked. The targeted assistance provided to Russian families and people who lost their jobs also came highly useful.
Indeed, difficulties with employment remain. We will probably talk about this later. We also know that the pandemic is not the only reason for the challenges we are facing such as a relatively high unemployment rate among young people or strained regional labour markets. We know we cannot blame everything on the pandemic, and we understand that some of these problems have a systemic nature stemming from unresolved structural problems in our economy.
The Government should enhance its programmes to promote employment in those constituent regions where unemployment is still high. At the same time, I emphasise, we need to continue taking targeted action, and propose solutions that take into account the economic specifics in each region. Furthermore, I am instructing the government to launch a permanent nationwide programme to support employment of young people, including measures to promote youth entrepreneurship.
It is obvious that the main, systemic response to the employment problem, and the key condition for raising people’s incomes is economic growth. This is obvious, and everyone understands it. New, high-quality jobs are needed in all sectors and regions of Russia.
World history shows that the relaunch of the economy following serious shocks has always been connected to boosting investment in infrastructure, territorial development, new technologies and personnel training.
I would like to thank the Russian regions that did not take a break or find excuses amid the most difficult pandemic environment that required great concentration of resources and attention, but continued to work on improving their business climate, maintaining dialogue with businesses and attracting investors. These regions have been rightfully distinguished by the National Investment Climate Ranking. Thus, Bashkortostan, Nizhny Novgorod Region and the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area are listed among the ten best regions to invest in; Samara, Sakhalin and Chelyabinsk regions have shown good dynamics.
We will provide systemic assistance to the regions in improving the business environment. I would like to ask the Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoys to boost efforts in this area and the Government to focus on supporting the regions that have difficulties with raising investment. It is necessary to help them introduce the best management practices and improve the level and quality of work with investors.
This task is quite concrete: a transparent, predictable and comfortable environment must be provided for businesses, private investments and new projects in all Russian regions by 2024.
In particular, each region will need to outline priority development areas; this information will be open to businesses, as well as the region’s urban development and infrastructure plans for building utility lines, roads and communication systems, so that it would be easier for businesses to pick the best place for their new production site or other facility.
It is necessary to eliminate excessive links in the chain, various superfluous formalities and approvals, first of all, for the most sensitive areas such as connection to the grid, construction permits, and others.
We are consistently removing dated requirements at the federal level. Thus, starting September 1, almost 4,000 more building codes and regulations will no longer be mandatory. That will leave only 3,000 mandatory requirements in construction of the more than 10,000 we had previously. But there is still room for simplification.
I would like to note that this huge and painstaking work to streamline regulation took two years. Again, we will keep at this, while at the same time maintaining high requirements for the quality and reliability of construction.
I am asking the regional heads as well as the customers of major facilities at the federal and regional levels, and heads of our state-owned companies and private businesses to keep in mind that all construction permits will need to be prepared in line with the updated regulations and should take into account the rapid changes in construction technologies, and use advanced, highly sustainable building materials. All this will need to be considered.
In general, each region must offer an understandable, comprehensive algorithm for the investor to go all the way from project concept to the opening of a new industrial facility or a property as efficiently and quickly as possible, without wasting time or sustaining unnecessary costs.
I will once again stress the importance of cooperation between the Government and the regions. I would like to note that the performance of the federal ministers responsible for economic matters will also be evaluated by how quickly the situation improves in those regions where, as I said, there are still problems with the business and investment climate. Please do not pretend that this does not concern the federal government. This applies to everyone. We need a common result, and we need to work with the regions that need support.
Again, we should not have any so-called backward regions thrown on the sidelines of economic growth. Each constituent entity of the Russian Federation has investment and economic potential. We need to unlock and effectively use it in the interests of all Russians, for the good of all Russian families.
A programme of infrastructure loans that will give the regions an opportunity to attract long-term loans at a low interest rate will become a new instrument for their development. We have already spoken about this, discussed these matters and made public statements to the effect. In all, the actual investment in infrastructure under this programme must be no less than $500 billion in the next two and a half years.
I would like to ask regional governors to be very attentive to drafting projects for this type of funding. It is necessary to spend funds primarily on creating a comfortable environment for people and upgrading cities and other residential areas. This is a major factor of economic growth and investment appeal in the modern world, in the economy that surrounds people.
Based on the best international standards and the experience of rating the investment climate, the Agency for Strategic Initiatives drafted, in cooperation with experts and commissions of the State Council, a national rating of living standards in the regions of Russia. It is an important indicator and I would like to tell you about our first results in this respect.
Moscow, Tyumen Region, Tatarstan, the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area and St Petersburg are in the lead for obvious reasons. They are our traditional business centres. They have long invested serious funds in infrastructure for people. Importantly, more and more Russian regions are guided by high standards and are demonstrating good dynamics in many areas. Thus, the Republic of Mordovia has one of the best education systems; Udmurtia has very comfortable conditions for launching and running businesses, while Novgorod Region leads in social protection.
I would also like to mention such an interesting integral rating indicator as the commitment of people to their region, a desire to live and work there and link the future of their children with it. Sevastopol and Kaliningrad Region are at the top in this respect.
I would like to emphasise that the rating of the quality of life in the regions makes it possible to assess the situation objectively, to see which regions have the most experience and the best practices. Moreover, this rating is primarily based on the opinion of residents themselves. This feedback allows regional managerial teams to plan work better and to focus efforts on the most sensitive problems, such as, of course, more affordable housing.
I am aware that here, at the forum panels, and in the country in general, the issue is being discussed about what will happen next with reduced-APR mortgage lending, which, as you may recall, is now available at an APR of 6.5 percent. Indeed, this programme has become one of the key anti-crisis measures to support individuals and the economy. To date, over half a million households have applied for and received this loan. An additional 2 trillion rubles, approximately, have been attracted to housing construction.
As you may know, the programme will expire very soon, on July 1. To reiterate, this was an anti-crisis programme, meaning that it was temporary.
At the same time, abruptly terminating it is, of course, not an option. We must keep in mind the important role that easy-term mortgage lending is playing in the current circumstances for resolving our people’s housing problems and developing the construction industry, which, as we are aware, is the driving force behind related industries. Therefore, I propose extending this programme in all regions for another year, that is, until July 1, 2022. We will raise the rate slightly in doing so. Some changes will be made, including setting the easy-term mortgage rate at 7 percent APR. The maximum loan amount will be set at 3 million rubles and it will be applied throughout the country.
At the same time, I would like to let you know about a new decision designed to make mortgage loans more affordable for families with children. Here is what it is about. As you may be aware, a systemic special mortgage programme for families that had a second and subsequent child after January 1, 2018, is already in place. I propose expanding this to all families with children born after January 1, 2018, even if there is only one child in the family so far. That is, to reiterate, with the birth of their first child, a family will be able to take out a mortgage loan at a rate of 6 percent and buy housing on the primary market or refinance an existing mortgage loan. The maximum amount of such a loan for Moscow and St Petersburg, as well as the Moscow and Leningrad regions, where real estate prices are objectively higher, will be 12 million rubles, with 6 million rubles available in the other constituent entities of the Federation.
Colleagues,
We hope that a better quality of life and improved infrastructure in Russian regions will make them more attractive for promising projects, for more private investment, and will open up additional opportunities for large companies as well as small and medium-sized businesses, serving as an important support for the economy, and in many ways contributing to a modern, competitive business environment. Competition is the main driver of growth and, importantly, a market mechanism that keeps prices down.
Last year, we made a fundamental, systemic decision to support small and medium-sized businesses. We halved insurance premiums for small businesses from 30 to 15 percent. We will certainly not go back on this. Moreover, we are ready to take further steps to support entrepreneurship. I will mention some of them now.
Firstly, I propose launching a new mechanism to support SME lending as soon as this year – something we call umbrella guarantees.
Here is how it works. Our development institution, the SME Corporation, will issue guarantees for loans from partner banks. In fact, it will take on some of the risks and make loans more affordable for SMEs. According to estimates, this will allow entrepreneurs to attract additional resources for development, at least 600 billion rubles by 2024.
Secondly, I know that businesses, especially small ones, sometimes complain about the high bank charges on their trade and other operations.
We have already extended the faster payment system, which enables transactions with lower charges, for non-cash payments between individuals and entrepreneurs. However, so far, this system has not been as widely used by businesses as it could be.
As a reminder, by September 1, all the so-called systemically important, backbone banks in Russia must connect to the fast payments system. I also think it would be right if the largest of them do this in the very near future, by July 1.
In addition, I have one more proposal that I think will be a pleasant surprise for those who are involved in this type of business, small and medium companies. I am suggesting that they be fully reimbursed until the end of the year for the commission they pay for using the Fast Payments System (FPS) when they sell their services or goods to individuals, to people. I repeat: the cost of FPS will be zero for these companies.
I discussed this issue with my colleagues and the Governor of the Central Bank. It will be necessary to support financial institutions through the budget and avoid discouraging them.
My third point: companies that are now using the simplified taxation plan must transfer to the general tax schedule if they go beyond the employee limit or the revenue limit. Of course, in this case a business will have to shoulder an additional fiscal burden, and this can impede growth and compel entrepreneurs to use tricks, like the artificial division of a big company into small ones.
The restaurant business is a case in point in this respect. I suggest these companies participate in the pilot programme at the start of next year to work out the process for a more comfortable transition from the one tax schedule to the other.
With respect to some details, the companies in this programme will pay no VAT if their revenue is below 2 billion rubles a year. Importantly, they will retain the right to pay a reduced insurance premium rate of 15 percent even if their personnel count grows to 1,500 people. Currently the threshold is 250 people.
Colleagues, let us see what effect this has on keeping businesses legal and encouraging companies to grow. As for making businesses legal, I think all interested people understand what I am talking about: all cheques must go through the cash register; employment must be official and purchases must be legal as well, that is, recorded in the cash register. (Applause).
Thank you. I suppose we speak the same language. For my part, I will do all I can to see that the state meets its commitments.
I will add that we have already agreed to relieve of filing a tax declaration those entrepreneurs that are working under the simplified tax scheme and using cash registers. I would like to draw the attention of my colleagues in the Government and Parliament to the relevant draft law that was adopted in the first reading last year: it has stalled since then. Please finalise this as soon as possible.
Fourthly, small and medium-sized businesses must be relieved of antimonopoly oversight that is clearly excessive. Many existing threshold numbers have not been revised for a long time now and do not match today’s economic realities, since the economy and the companies keep growing.
For example, antitrust oversight covers all companies with annual revenue of over 400 million rubles. I propose doubling this amount to 800 million rubles, thus sparing a large number of growing companies burdensome and unnecessary reporting and paperwork. I propose setting a similarly higher threshold for oversight of mergers and acquisitions. That is, if a deal does not exceed 800 million rubles, it will not require the approval of antimonopoly authorities.
And, finally, my fifth point: measures to drive demand for the output of entrepreneurs across all sectors of the economy are especially relevant now. In this regard, I propose increasing the share of goods and services that our large companies, as well as state and municipal customers, must purchase from small and medium-sized enterprises, including non-profit organisations. It should be at least 25 percent.
We have held numerous discussions on this matter. I want to draw your attention right away to the fact that we are talking about companies that operate under Federal Law 223 and the companies that work with state and municipal authorities under Law 44. I am aware there are many subtleties here. And I know well that Russian industry does not even make certain products. However, the bar must be set where I said, and the Government will finalise the finer points.
In addition, it is imperative to cut the time it takes to pay for delivered goods and services from 30 to 15 business days, which is also important. Small businesses and socially oriented NGOs must see this time go from 15 to seven days.
Of course, real companies, not all sorts of sham or affiliated operations, should benefit from these preferences. I want the oversight authorities to keep this in mind. At the same time, I am instructing the Government to make sure that procurement for state needs involves mainly Russian manufacturers, of course, in compliance with internal competition rules, in this case.
Ladies and gentlemen,
As I have said earlier, international cooperation must be instrumental in overcoming the socioeconomic consequences of the pandemic. It is all the more important for us to pool our efforts in the face of common, systemic, long-term challenges that do not depend on the situation in the market or political disputes and setups, but determine the future of entire societies in a decisive way.
What am I talking about now? What am I referring to? Primarily, the climate agenda. Scientists estimate that over 2 trillion tonnes of greenhouse gases have accumulated in the Earth’s atmosphere because of human economic activity. Every year, the volume goes up by 50 billion tonnes, gradually warming up the planet.
I often hear that Russia is not that interested in resolving global environmental problems. I can say that this is nonsense, a myth, and sometimes outright distortion. Like other countries, we feel the risks and threats in this area, including desertification, soil erosion and melting permafrost. Many of those here work in the Arctic and know that we have entire cities built on permafrost in the Arctic. If it all starts to thaw, what consequences will Russia face? Of course, we are concerned.
We are consistent supporters of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreement. I must emphasise that there is no separate Russian, European, Asian, or American climate. All our countries bear a common responsibility for today’s world and for the lives of future generations. We must set aside political and other differences and avoid turning the transition to “hydrocarbon neutrality” into an instrument of dishonest competition where attempts are made to change investment and trade flows in someone’s specific interests under the pretext of the hydrocarbon footprint, and where limited access to advanced ‘green’ technology becomes a factor in deterring individual countries and manufacturers.
How do we see Russia’s contribution to countering climate change? I am sure environmental and climate projects in our country will play a leading role in global efforts in climate conservation by virtue of Russia’s size, place and role in the world. We have set a goal: in the next 30 years the accumulated amount of pure greenhouse emissions must be lower in Russia than in Europe. This is an ambitious goal, but I am confident that it is feasible. I would like to ask the Government to draft a detailed plan of action on this before October 1 of this year. We will discuss this issue at a separate meeting.
What are our areas of focus?
The first one includes projects designed to reduce emissions throughout the economy. I have already mentioned that the Russian energy sector is increasing its share of low-carbon sources primarily through building nuclear and hydroelectric power plants and using renewable sources of energy. We have the world’s largest gas reserves, and while gas – we will probably discuss this later – is, of course, carbon, it is the purest kind of carbon, and we will be unable to do without it during the transition period.
Incidentally, using its nuclear industry as the foundation, Russia is already creating infrastructure for the production of hydrogen to be used as a raw material, fuel and energy source in metallurgy, the production of cement, and transport, among other areas.
We will also keep reducing emissions from hydrocarbon production and utilising associated gas. By the way, we probably utilise more gas this way than any other oil-producing country. We will thoroughly modernise the thermal power industry and electrify gas transport infrastructure. We also plan to further improve energy efficiency in the residential sector and heat supply systems, to switch public transport to natural gas, electric and hybrid engines, and to reduce material consumption in construction. In a word, we are talking about end-to-end technological retrofitting of our entire economy and infrastructure.
Clearly, such projects need market incentives in order to be launched successfully. To this end, we are starting to issue state-subsidised ‘green bonds.’ Also, we have developed performance criteria for environmental projects or a ‘green taxonomy’ in the parlance of experts.
Of course, reducing emissions is not enough to overcome the challenge of global warming. Greenhouse gas sequestration is essential if we want to achieve carbon neutrality. It is important to reduce existing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and our main goal is to learn to capture, store, and make productive use of carbon dioxide coming from all sources.
Now, regarding a second area in this context: an entire industry, a fundamentally new market for so-called ‘carbon units’ is being created almost before our eyes. Many people, especially those in power production, are aware of this, but I will explain. This is the amount of harmful airborne emissions that can be absorbed by a section of land or forest. So, if you have done some additional work on your land to increase its ability to absorb the emissions in the air, you have created a number of carbon units. Many countries and associations are already planning to accept these units from exporters to offset the emissions from the production of imported goods.
Russia has enormous potential for emission absorption with its forests, tundra, agricultural lands and marshlands. Our country has a fifth of the world’s forests; they occupy almost 10 million square kilometres. Specialists and scientists believe that they are already absorbing billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents every year.
I repeat, the importance of Russia’s potential in natural compensation is enormous, simply huge in terms of the planet’s climate sustainability. Clearly, by virtue of its natural advantages, Russia can maintain a special place in the global market for carbon units. To achieve this, we need to use the forests and lands more effectively and enhance their absorption capacity. We must increase reforestation areas, fight wildfires, and expand pristine nature reserves, sanctuaries and national parks. In effect, we are now doing all this and intend to continue to do this in the future while introducing new soil-recovery agro-technology.
Importantly, we can work towards three objectives at the same time. Firstly, by investing in technology, the protection of forestry and land improvement, we will enhance the environmental wellbeing of our people, and the cities and territories they live in. Secondly, we will create jobs in the new high-tech industry of greenhouse emissions mitigation, and third,ly we will provide our exporters with an additional dimension for competitiveness in foreign markets.
This concerns many of you here in this hall. I would like you to see this as a direct message to Russian companies that are buying or starting to buy carbon units abroad or are planning to do this in the future. Instead, it is better to invest funds in climate projects in our country. Eventually, those who engage in this will receive many benefits, economic benefits. This effort will be more effective and oriented towards the future.
I would like to note that, based on our estimates, revenue from this new climate industry in the Russian market could soon surpass $50 billion a year, which is another important figure. In a word, this is a good, beneficial destination for investment by both domestic and foreign companies. We invite our interested partners to take part in this work. We will create the necessary conditions for this.
I would like to discuss several issues that are of critical importance for climate projects in Russia. It is necessary to work through in detail the criteria underlying these projects, to determine the sites and areas that are best suited for launching them, and the kind of technologies to use.
It is also imperative to create a transparent and objective system for assessing the outcome of climate projects. This is a critical part of what I am saying now – that is, to identify the current absorbing capacity of the sites and what it will be after the project is implemented. Actually, it is about calculating the delta in the form of the “carbon units” that I just mentioned.
All the while, it is important to monitor the emission and absorption of greenhouse gases based, among other things, on observations from outer space, digital technologies, and AI methods.
The construction of such a national system that makes use of the potential of Russian science is already underway in Russia. We are creating a network of “carbon testing grounds” to monitor carbon dioxide emission and absorption in real time, as well as the state of environmental systems, the quality of water resources and other variables.
We are also creating a pilot carbon market in Sakhalin Region. This experiment will come as a step towards achieving carbon neutrality and creating a nationwide carbon unit market.
I am aware that a system of this kind is about to be launched in other countries as well. Here is another important matter, which concerns mutual recognition of greenhouse gas emission and sequestration. This requires a transparent climate statistics system, mutual understanding between states and, of course, joint scientific research. We are open to this cooperation.
I am instructing the Government, by July 2022, to fully form the regulatory framework for implementing climate projects in Russia at the level of federal laws and departmental bylaws and guidelines, so that businesses, domestic and international alike, can draw up and implement their plans in this area relying on clear and easy-to-follow rules and criteria.
Colleagues, let me close by saying again that, despite the challenges presented by the global pandemic, life is gradually returning to normal. To reiterate, our meeting in St Petersburg is a case in point. Next week, St Petersburg will be hosting matches of the 2021 UEFA European championship which is getting underway.
On this note, I would like to convey my greetings to our great friend, the Emir of Qatar. It was his birthday yesterday. Our best wishes to you, Your Highness. I am confident that Qatar will host the FIFA World Cup 2022 with great success.
Such major events and forums truly unite and bring people from different countries closer. Businesspeople, of which there are many here, are well aware that in-person contacts based on mutual trust move forward, in many respects, business projects and initiatives, and, therefore, the global economy.
Russia will do its best to create every opportunity for these contacts to take place, for sharing experience and demonstrating the latest achievements in science and technology.
Thank you for your patience and your time, and I wish the forum every success.
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