Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare Minister Seyyed Solat Mortazavi and public relations (PR) managers of organizations, provinces, holdings, companies directly or indirectly involved with Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare Ministry came together to exchange views.  

The gathering of communications professionals of the ministry took place on Wednesday, May 24 in Tehran to commemorate liberation of Khoramshahr and mark Ten days of Dignity.

Iranians celebrate each year recapture of the southwestern city on May 24 1982 during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. 

Ten days of Dignity is designated to celebrate a period between the birthday anniversaries of Fatemeh Masumeh (SA), the sister of the eight Imam of Shia Muslims, and the Imam Reza (AS), her brother. The shrine of Fatemeh Masumeh (SA) in Qom is the second holiest site in Iran after shrine of the eight Imam of Shia Muslims Reza (AS) in Mashhad. Iranians are celebrating Ten days of Dignity on May 21-31 this year.

The poster of “Emtedad Festival” –which literally means continuation—was unveiled in the presence of the minister and senior communications officials of the Social Security Investment Company and its nine specialized holdings, PR directors of ministry’s subsidiaries as well as their high- and mid-ranking officials.

“The First National Emtedad Festival” is aimed at motivating communications experts of subsidiaries of the ministry, communications professionals of its executive departments and PRs of companies under ministry’s supervision, paving the ground for sound competition and creativity. The festival will be held under the theme of “continuation of the serving [of the nation], a reflection of the truth” in three above-mentioned categories. 

The minister told participants that [liberation] of Khoramshahr by braveries of the Iranian fighters of the Sacred Defense (1980-88 Iran-Iraq war) was a civilization-maker phenomenon in the history of the Islamic Revolution.

He described public relations as a lynchpin connecting the system and people from all walks of life and compared the job to those who were protecting Iran during its defense against the-eight-year invasion of Iraq. “Now, like those commanders of the Sacred Defense, the communications professionals should defend the achievements and honors of the Islamic system,” Mortazavi urged.

Soft war, the minister said, could be more destructive than armed conflicts between countries because at first “enemies change social behavior and endeavor to trample on mankind’s worth and dignity”. 

Mortazavi also clarified the broad services and achievements of the ministry in the Popular administration of President Ebrahim Raisi, calling on PR managers to consider measures that win public trust, provide new and creative plans and educate and empower staff of various public relations departments.