Iranian president begins four-day provincial visit

IRNA website, Tehran
11 Jul 06

Tabriz, East Azarbayjan, 11 July: President Mahmud Ahmadinezhad,
accompanied by members of his cabinet, arrived in the northwestern
provincial capital, Tabriz, Tuesday morning [11 July] for an official
visit.

On hand to welcome the president and his entourage at Tabriz
international airport were the representative of the vali-ye faqih
(religious jurisprudent [Khamene’i]) in East Azarbayjan Province,
governor-general, provincial Majlis deputies and other senior
officials.

On the first day of his four-day visit, the president is scheduled to
address residents of Tabriz and meet with local residents of Malekan
and Bonab cities.

He will hold separate meetings with senior officials and families of
martyrs and war veterans of the province.

He will also address residents of 19 cities of the province.

On the last day of his visit, he and his cabinet ministers will hold
a session in Tabriz to discuss the province’s problems and needs.

East Azarbayjan Province has a population of 3.5 million.

The 235-km Aras river forms an international border between the
province and Azarbayjan Republic and Armenia.

President Ahmadinezhad’s current provincial visit is his 16th to
various provinces of the country since the start of his initiative
of bringing the government closer to the people.

He and his cabinet have already visited the provinces of South
Khorasan, Sistan-Baluchestan, Ilam, Qom, Hormozgan, Bushehr, Chahar
Mahal and Bakhtiari, Lorestan, Golestan, Kohkiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad,
and Khorasan- Razavi, Zanjan, Markazi, Qazvin and Hamedan.