Senator McCain and Maryam Rajavi meet -Senator McCain visits PMOI members in Tirana

Senator McCain to MEK: You are an example to everyone in the world that is struggling for freedom
Maryam Rajavi: As the regime is beset by deepening crises, we are closer than ever to our goal of freedom

On Friday, April 14, 2017, Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, met with Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) in Tirana, Albania. They discussed the latest developments in Iran, the Iranian regime’s nefarious meddling in the region, and the future prospects.

Mrs. Rajavi praised Senator McCain for his unsparing efforts in support of the MEK members in Ashraf and their relocation out of Iraq. She said, “Today, there is a consensus in the Middle East about the clerical regime’s destructive role and that the religious fascism ruling Iran is the primary source of war, terrorism and crisis in the region.”

“Regime change is not only indispensable to ending the egregious violations of human rights in Iran but also to establishing peace and tranquility in the region. As long as the clerical regime is in power, it will not abandon the export of terrorism and fundamentalism,” she added.

Senator McCain said he believed that the Iranian regime, Bashar Al-Assad and Daesh (ISIS) were all interrelated and could be dealt with separately. He underscored the need to remove Assad from power and to confront the Iranian regime’s destructive role in Syria and Iraq.

Mrs. Rajavi said, “From all indications, the clerical regime is at an impasse socially, politically, and economically and as such is quite vulnerable. The Iranian people and Resistance are more determined and prepared than ever to overthrow the ruling theocracy and establish democracy and popular sovereignty in Iran.”

Prior to the meeting, Senator McCain, joined by Mrs. Rajavi, visited one of the MEK headquarters in Tirana where he was warmly welcomed by MEK members relocated from Camp Liberty to Albania.

Deputy Chief of the U.S. Mission and a number of U.S. Embassy staff in Tirana, Albania, as well as several of Senator McCain’s advisors accompanied him in this visit.

In her speech to the gathering, Mrs. Rajavi thanked Senator McCain for his efforts in support of the MEK members. “The relocation of MEK members was a great achievement. Their persistence and sacrifices, coupled with international support made the relocation possible. You played a key role in the safe relocation of Camp Liberty residents and for that the people of Iran are grateful to you,” she added.

Mrs. Rajavi also stressed that the Iranian Resistance was determined to continue its struggle to overthrow the clerical regime. She pointed out, “During the 2009 uprisings in Iran, while the Iranian people’s desire for freedom and democracy was brutally crushed, the U.S. Government regrettably remained silent. But the Iranian people have never given up their desire for regime change. We are more determined than ever to establish freedom and democracy in Iran. As the regime is beset by deepening crises, we are closer than ever to achieving our goal.”

On the recent developments in the region, Mrs. Rajavi said, “The Iranian regime is responsible for committing war crimes in Syria and it must be evicted from that country. Notwithstanding its valuable humanitarian dimension, politically speaking, this would be the correct policy. Experience has shown that this regime is neither capable of, nor willing to, change its behavior. As such, regime change in Iran is the prerequisite to regional peace and stability as well as global peace and security.”
Addressing the MEK members, Senator McCain congratulated them on their successful relocation from Iraq and lauded their perseverance and steadfastness despite enduring great calamities and losing many of their comrades. “There is no doubt that the people in this room have suffered. They have suffered not only themselves but in the loss of their loved ones because of the Iranian tyranny, and I express my condolences to everyone in this room who has lost a loved one as a result of the Iranian tyranny and terrorism.” Senator McCain also expressed his gratitude to the Government of Albania for their hospitality.

Senator McCain told MEK members, “You have stood up and fought and sacrificed for freedom, for the right to live free, for the right to determine your own future, for the rights that are God given. I thank you for being an example, an example to the whole world, that those people who are willing to fight and sacrifice for freedom will achieve it, and you are an example to everyone in the world that is struggling for (freedom).”

He praised Mrs. Rajavi’s leadership, adding, “Someday, Iran will be free. Someday, we will all gather in that square.”

Mrs. Rajavi presented Senator McCain with a book containing the List of 20,000 MEK martyrs who had fallen for freedom in Iran. She described the book, which contains a partial list of names of 120,000 martyrs as “the greatest asset of the Iranian Resistance.”

Senator McCain also met and talked with a number of MEK members, former political prisoners and members who had lost relatives under the Iranian regime, about their personal experiences.