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| Said Azizi, political activist |
The "South Azerbaijan National Democratic Union" organization recently changed its name to the "Azerbaijan Democratic Union" during its congress. Said Azizi, one of the spokespersons chosen at the congress, gave an interview to Voice of America, explaining the reason behind the name change and some modifications in the organization's platform. He also shared his views on the recent parliamentary elections in Iran and events in the region, as well as his organization's stance on these issues.
"At the congress, some changes were made, including the shortening of our name. The Azerbaijan Democratic Union is a young organization. We initially chose our name to match our movement and nation, but over time, there were some difficulties and criticisms regarding its translation into languages of the country we live in, including English and even Farsi. The word 'national' or 'nation' in translation has a negative connotation. Since nationalist parties in many parts of Europe and the world are associated with extremists, we faced challenges explaining this," he said.
Azizi emphasized that his organization is closely following the political changes and events taking place in countries such as the Republic of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey, and Iraq, noting that these events have both direct and indirect effects on the fate of Iranian Azerbaijan.
"There are varying degrees of war and ethnic conflicts in the regions surrounding South Azerbaijan... All of these events play a direct or indirect role in our fate. I don’t remember such significant events taking place in the past," said the activist, who lives in Sweden.
He argued that there is a multi-faceted attack against the economic and political stability of Turkey and the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as against South Azerbaijan, Iraq, and Turkish-speaking communities in Syria, by regional and international forces.
Said Azizi also commented on the recent parliamentary elections in Iran and the voting behavior of the people in the Azerbaijani provinces.
Recently, some Turkish activists have begun criticizing the spread of ethnic hate speech in stadiums and on social media.
However, Said Azizi argues that in a society deprived of freedom of assembly, the right to establish political parties, and freedom of the press, it is impossible to control the behavior and actions of the masses.
"I also have criticisms of our own people. Our activists write articles against us, claiming that the nation has turned to violence. But this nation is not turning to violence. 100,000 people are standing in a stadium chanting slogans. These slogans have been chanted for years. From this, one or two mistakes may arise. How do we know who did it, and how they did it? When we look at the overall picture, we see that this nation is acting in a cultured manner," said Said Azizi.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Səid Əzizi: Şüarımız kimlərəsə "ölüm" yox, "yaşasın"-dır