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| The head of the Turkish Regions Faction, Masoud Pezeshkian, and its spokesperson, Zahra Saei |
After months of speculation regarding the formation of a Turkish faction in Iran's Parliament, news agencies have reported that the "Turkish Regions Faction," composed of 100 members of parliament, has elected its leader, board members, and spokesperson.
According to information provided to ISNA by Zahra Saei, a reformist MP from Tabriz and the faction's spokesperson, Masoud Pezeshkian, another reformist MP from Tabriz, former minister, and the current first deputy speaker of Iran's Parliament, has been chosen as the head of the Turkish Regions Faction.
Reports indicate that the faction's board includes both reformist and conservative MPs, though the majority are reformists.
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| A Copy of the Official Declaration for the Formation of the Turkish Regions Faction |
Zahra Saei stated that the faction was organized with the participation of 100 MPs. According to ILNA, in addition to MPs from Iranian Azerbaijan, Turkish MPs from provinces such as Tehran, Qom, Alborz, and Fars have also joined the faction.
ILNA also reported that Yonathan Betkolia, an MP belonging to the Assyrian community, is a member of the Turkish Regions Faction. No information has been released regarding whether other non-Turkish community MPs have joined the faction besides Mr. Betkolia.
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| Yonathan Betkolia, a Member of the Turkish Regions Faction from the Assyrian Community |
The official news outlet of Iran's Islamic Consultative Assembly, House of the Nation News Agency, quoted Zahra Saei in outlining the faction's objectives.
"The Turkish Regions Faction has been formed with the aim of addressing the economic, livelihood, and educational challenges in these regions. Considering the vast expanse of Turkish regions across Iran, we hope to collaboratively tackle various issues and difficulties with the cooperation of all members," Zahra Saei stated.
The establishment of the Turkish Regions Faction in Iran's Parliament has been broadly welcomed by politicians, media representatives, and Turkish activists based in Iranian Azerbaijan.
Link to the original text in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
İran Parlamentinin 100 millət vəkili ‘Türk Bölgələri Fraksiyası’nı təsis edib