Senator Giulio Terzi, former Foreign Minister of Italy, addressed the first day of the Free Iran World Summit on July 1, 2023.

Peter Altmaier: Be Prepared for Democracy and Freedom in Iran

The full text of Senator Giulio Terzi, former Foreign Minister of Italy’s remarks, is as follows:

Excellencies, dear friends of the National Council of Resistance, MEK, and the organization of the true democratic Resistance led by Madame Maryam Rajavi.

Thank you. And thank you, thank you very much for your hospitality today, for involving us in this great gathering, and for the great honor of speaking in front of such an important, great delegation of some of the most prominent legislators in Italy and the other countries that have been mentioned, prominent legislators, professionals, entrepreneurs, persons of culture and scientific background.

It is really a world of freedom that is here with you today, a world of freedom that is really in our democratic societies and of value for which we are so proud.

It was said just a few minutes ago by an old friend of mine, a very distinguished former French foreign minister, that there is a peculiarity in what is happening today here in Paris and in this wonderful city. The peculiarity is the triumph of values that are granted and guaranteed by a country like France, which has an identity and history, but also a present and a future of never forgetting for a single minute the fact that it is a value of all free democracies, democracies led by the rule of law, to allow, even in the most difficult circumstances, as it happens unfortunately in some parts of France over the last few days, of guaranteeing and allowing and making sure that the free voices of political refugees, Iranian political refugees, and their supporters can be freely expressed all over the country, in Paris, in the capital, here, in this hall. And that is the value of democracy, which is echoing from the 100,000 people marching, chanting, saying that their leader is Madam Rajavi, as we all say, and encouraging us to be committed and to fight, to fight for the same purpose that you have been presenting and have been discussing.

I want to make my remarks very short, because, besides your patience, I have to look at my back the patience of so many distinguished representatives of this delegation.

The first point, it is true that the majority, more than 50% of Italian legislators, have signed a document where it is very clear in three main points, a staunch support and unwavering support to the Ten-Point program of Madame Rajavi’s platform.

And second point is the fact that IRGC, the so-called Pasdaran, must be blacklisted and they must be recognized as Hezbollah, a force that is a force of terror belonging to the first terrorist state in the world, which is the Islamic Republic of Iran.

And the third point is the commitment to pursue in all our parliaments and in our civil society the engagement of promoting freedom, justice, and human rights in Iran.

So, to conclude my short remarks, I would like to underline today’s event and what is happening in Paris streets, this demonstration that the fundamental rights of political refugees must be granted in their freedom of expression.

It is an example of how to tackle disinformation, the demonization that the regime is pouring on the shoulder of the MEK and our friends represented here tonight, the Iranian Resistance.

The demonization and disinformation allow other players, fake democrats, false democrats, just players who have been involved in past regimes, to come up and pretend they have somehow an equal status to the Resistance that you represent, to propose themselves as an alternative to the regime. This is part of disinformation which unfortunately is present also in some of our countries, but it’s connected to the clear strategy.

I don’t mean that one thing depends on the direct intervention of the other, but it is a strategy that tries to disseminate hatred against you, against us, who are supportive of your positions, and it is disinformation that tries to move governments which are hospitable, which are ready to give you the freedom of expression to create some problems.

And I don’t think that I have to fantasize too much that unfortunately, this strategy has had some results also over the incidents which took place just a few days ago in Ashraf, which should be overcome quickly, remembering the assurances given by Prime Minister Rama six years ago, seven years ago, to the Mujahedin, that the conditions foreseen in the Geneva Convention on Political Refugees of 1951 should be the basis for the presence in Albania of this wonderful community of Ashraf.

I think this is the time to remember this, to be vocal, and to encourage all the authorities in Albania, this wonderful Albania, so friendly to my country, which I visited in the last few weeks.

But this Albania, a member of Europe, as we are a member of Europe and we hope that you join quickly the European Union, to remember that we expect that there is no pressure which is admissible, there is no appeasement vis-à-vis the protection of the Iranian regime, and that we are supportive of the MEK, the Mujahedin, that they may enjoy the rights foreseen by Geneva Convention 1951.

With this wish, thank you very much, and thank you also on behalf of this wonderful delegation. Thank you, all of you.