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| Dr. Mehmet Rıza Heyet |
“You continue the assimilation policies inherited from the Pahlavi era, and at the same time, you promise to create an institution to protect the very language you aim to destroy. I believe this is not feasible. It’s a facade.” These are the words of South Azerbaijani Turkologist and academic Mehmet Rıza Heyet regarding promises over the past two years about establishing a “Turkish Language Institution” in Iran.
During his 2013 presidential campaign, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani promised in Tabriz to establish a Turkish Language Institution. However, later, Ali Younesi, Rouhani’s advisor for ethnic groups and religious minorities, stated that the initial discussion of this promise was a mistake. The governor of East Azerbaijan then announced that instead of the Turkish Language Institution, an Azerbaijan Culture and Arts Organization would be established.
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| In his 2013 election campaign, Hassan Rouhani had promised in Tabriz to establish a Turkish Language Institute. |
According to local media, removing the Turkish Language Institution from the agenda has sparked public discontent. Durna News, an online publication based in Urmia, reported, “The people of Azerbaijan, concerned about the endangered status of their Turkish language, demanded the establishment of this institution. Mentioning an undefined organization with unclear objectives in its place lacks logic and credibility.”
Agreeing with local media analyses, M.Rza Heyet noted that the dominant ideology in Iran aims to create “an Azerbaijan devoid of Turkishness, filled instead with Azeri and Aryanist elements.”
“What does the Azerbaijan Culture and Arts Organization even mean? Why was such a name chosen? I don’t know. But this ideological framework sees Azerbaijan as an empty shell or a container that they wish to fill with whatever they want. Inside, there is no Turk, no Turkish language, and no services for Turks. Instead, there is ‘Azeri,’ an Azerbaijan emptied of Turkishness and filled with Aryanist elements.”
While skeptical of the sincerity of Iranian politicians’ promises about language rights, the Varlıq editor emphasized that such pledges reflect the public’s sensitivity toward their mother tongue and national values, thus holding significance.
“Whether or not promises are kept is, of course, important. But their subject matter and essence are equally significant. Looking at Iran’s current situation, we see that over the past 25 years, as our people’s sensitivity to their mother tongue and national values has grown, the promises made by candidates have also evolved,” Heyet said.
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| The Governor of East Azerbaijan, Jabbarzadeh, stated: "Instead of the Turkish Language Institute, we have brought the Azerbaijan Culture and Arts Foundation to the agenda." |
Referring to previous parliamentary and presidential election campaigns, he highlighted that as demands increase, the promises become clearer and more specific.
Emphasizing the connection between public demands and political promises, the Ankara University lecturer explained:
“Firstly, our people’s awareness and sensitivity to the Turkish language are beginning to manifest in all areas. Every year on International Mother Language Day, thousands demand Turkish-language schools through slogans, writing, or demonstrations. During sports events, demands for Turkish-language education or slogans related to Lake Urmia have become the most prominent calls.”
“Secondly, because these demands are not met, voter turnout in Turkish regions has significantly declined. In reality, a rift has formed between Tehran and these regions, particularly between Tehran and Azerbaijan. Thus, during the last presidential elections, Hassan Rouhani’s promises were entirely focused on mother tongue issues, ethnic rights, and topics considered national values by the people.”
According to Mehmet Rıza Heyet, “These promises didn’t seem credible even at the time, but the mere mention of such issues, even in words, signals a significant awakening, a strengthening return to identity.”
He also explained why he doubted the sincerity of these promises:
“In the current conditions, I do not believe such an institution will be established because as long as assimilation and Persianization policies continue, the creation of such an institution is impossible. On the one hand, you maintain the assimilation policies of the Pahlavi era, and on the other, you promise to protect a language you aim to erase. I believe this is not realistic; it’s a facade.”
Heyet argued that claims of government intentions to address language rights could only be credible if they acknowledged the existence of the problem:
“In such matters, the starting point is crucial. For instance, if the intention is truly good, the authorities must first acknowledge the problem by officially stating, ‘There is such a problem in Iran.’ Only then can solutions be sought. In my opinion, the solution does not begin with the creation of a language institution. Moreover, what kind of language institution would a mindset that avoids even using the term ‘Turk,’ instead calling it ‘Azeri,’ establish? And who would it serve?”
Describing Turks as “an essential element of this country,” the Varlıq editor highlighted anti-Turkish content in Iranian school textbooks, stressing the need to remove such materials to ensure ethnic and cultural rights.
He also shared his predictions about the potential activities of the Azerbaijan Culture and Arts Organization if it were to be established:
“I can already anticipate its activities. For instance, they will likely study and highlight Azerbaijani poets like Nizami, Khaghani, or Qatran, who wrote in Persian. They will set them as examples. Even if there is some language instruction, as it’s a regional or provincial organization, different versions of Turkish—or what they call Azeri—will be taught in different areas.”
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| Iran's Presidential Advisor on Minorities: Raising the Issue of a Turkish Language Institute Was a Mistake from the Beginning |
M.Rza Heyet criticized the stance of Iranian officials such as Ali Younesi, Rouhani’s advisor for ethnic groups and religious minorities:
“Ali Younesi recently said that most of the Turks in West Azerbaijan are originally Kurds who later became Turkified. I find such statements unbecoming of someone in his position. You cannot claim there are no Turks in Iran and that they are merely Turkified Persians or Kurds. If the criteria are not the language people speak today but their ancestry, then what about the countless Turks who became Persianized in Tehran, Shiraz, Isfahan, or Khorasan over the past 100 years?”
As a lecturer in the Department of Modern Turkish Dialects and Literature at Ankara University, Heyet believes the Turkish language represents an existential marker for South Azerbaijani Turks and other Turks in Iran:
“For all Turks in Iran, Turkish is the line between existence and non-existence. If Turkish exists, Turks exist. This is an identity issue and a reason for being... Therefore, the Turkish language is always targeted first—its name is changed, and then its essence is altered. There’s no difference between calling it Azeri or Azerbaijani; the objective remains the same. Unfortunately, this policy continues even in the Republic of Azerbaijan,” he added.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
M.Rza Heyət: Türkcəni yox etməyə çalışan sistem Türk Dil Qurumu açdırmaz