The second session from session series entitled the “Dialogue with Peace Thinkers” was held on Wednesday, 4 May 2022 with the presence of Dr Mohammad Hossein Papoli Yazdi and Mr Amin Nourafkan as the session chair. Dr Papoli Yazdi started the dialogue by recounting a memory from his childhood in Yazd. The peaceful coexistence of different religions in this city was the main theme of his memories from this city. He then referred to his academic studies in Paris in the field of geography and his return to Iran. Dr Papoli Yazdi then presented a pathological overview of the peace-building process in Iran and the role of academics in this respect.
In his opinion, academics should have more space and power to make effective decisions in order to contribute to strengthening the discourse-building process in the area of peace. For him, university is a sphere which, if not shackled with external constraints, is inherently in line with the principles of peace and consolidates its foundations. If universities are equipped with the powerful tools of discourse and decision-making, the policies they produce will serve the public interest; policies that consider peace as the first and foremost option and strike a balance between compromise and deterrent power both at home and abroad.
Professor of Tarbiat Modares University then referred to the three periods of his membership in the Cultural Geography Commission at the World Association of Geographers and the dialogues between its members. Association of the Islamic World and the Islamic Countries’ Railway, which he pioneered since 1991, are also the results of the same dialogues. These plans seek to expand economic cohesion between countries, increase welfare, and reduce the risk of extremism and politicised decisions. For him, the European Union can be seen as the best example and success story for the idea of economic cohesion. The greatest practical achievement of this idea is a reduction in wars and the strengthening of pacifism in various regions.
According to Dr Papoli Yazdi, the Association of the Islamic World will have a better performance if it tries to stick to economic cooperation, especially joint investment (public, private, and public sector) and networking. If we can persuade rival countries and governments with conflicting ideas to increase their partnerships and invest in each other or in a third Islamic country, nations and governments will also be more likely to come closer. However, the alliance should not be limited to Islamic countries, and its membership should be expanded as much as possible.
In the final part of his speech, Dr Papoli Yazdi addressed the issue of Afghanistan and Iran’s role in regional peacebuilding. In his view, the prime cause of Afghanistan’s problems during the last two centuries has been the superpowers’ intervention in this country: “Afghanistan has a great potential to coexist with us, provided that we provide peace for the Afghan masses. In this regard, we must prepare public opinion. The agenda set to strengthen Iran’s role as a peacemaker in the region must highlight, first and foremost, the importance and priority of peace among other components. The first step in this direction is to use a pathological approach to the issue, spot previous mistakes, and formulate a pacifist, rational, and pragmatic agenda for the foreign policy.”