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| Böyük Rəsuloğlu |
The renowned South Azerbaijani writer and human rights activist, Boyuk Resuloglu, shared his thoughts with Voice of America on the current issues of South Azerbaijan, as well as events in the region and their connections to the South.
He discussed the issues related to the mother tongue of the South Azerbaijani community, the crisis of Lake Urmia, President Hassan Rouhani's promises in response to these demands, the Islamic Republic of Iran's relations with the West, and the events happening in the region.
Having been involved in projects related to Lake Urmia in the past as an engineer, Resuloglu acknowledged some of the positive activities of figures within the government, such as Isa Kelantri, the secretary of the Lake Urmia Revival Center, but emphasized the negative overall policy of the government.
He also referred to the mass arrests of national activists who celebrated International Mother Language Day last February and the promises of President Rouhani regarding education in the Turkish language. According to the South Azerbaijani writer, the Islamic Republic of Iran denies language rights altogether and fails to implement even those rights guaranteed by its own constitution.
He described Iran’s policy toward non-Persian languages as a racist one.
Many political experts argue that President Hassan Rouhani's government's foreign policy, particularly its efforts to improve relations with Western countries, especially the United States, has been successful, and that Iran has strengthened its influence in the region.
However, Boyuk Resuloglu believes that this situation will not last long. He stated, "Despite all these rapprochments, the Islamic Republic of Iran will not abandon its slogan of the destruction of America. As long as religious rule continues in Iran, it will not be able to establish proper relations with the West."
The South Azerbaijani activist, who resides in Norway, also emphasized that regardless of whether the Iranian government becomes stronger or weaker, the South Azerbaijani National Movement must strengthen and continue its struggle.
"We must strengthen ourselves. Whether the Islamic Republic of Iran becomes stronger or weaker, we must be able to strengthen ourselves regardless of this," he added.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Böyük Rəsuloğlu: Özümüz güclənməliyik, İran hakimiyyətinin zəifləməsini gözləməməliyik