MOSCOW, November 18 (Sputnik) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced country's ambitions to become a global scientific and research center, the Iranian president's press service stated Tuesday.
Rouhani said the Iranian government "attached the highest importance" to the country's scientific research and development and added that Iran intended to "become a great scientific resource in the region first and then in the world," the statement on the president's website says.
Rouhani made a statement while speaking at the Iranian parliament, expressing support for his nominee for the position of minister of science, research and technology.
Iran has enjoyed a boom in scientific and research activities in recent years, with the country's scientific output growing 18-fold between 1996 and 2008, according to New Scientist magazine.
In 2011, Iran unveiled its Comprehensive Scientific Plan, outlining a sustainable strategy for the country's scientific growth until 2025. Iran's then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stressed during the plan's presentation that it was to be constantly revised so that the country could reach its goals.
In July, the Iranian Space Agency introduced a 10-year national space program, which included sending a man into space and establishing remote sensing satellite systems.
Despite tensions over its nuclear program, which Iran says has only peaceful purposes, the country is cooperating with other nations in the field of scientific research, including Germany, France, Russia and the United States.
