Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, November 7, 2016
They consider the faction a threat to the unity of the country.
Following the announcement of the establishment of the "Turkish Regions Faction," which includes 100 members of parliament, in the Iranian Parliament in late October, Iranian nationalists have launched a widespread campaign, claiming that the faction poses a “threat to Iran’s national unity.”
According to reports in Iranian media and visuals shared on social networks, Iranian nationalists have expressed their opposition by issuing statements, organizing campaigns on social media, and blocking the paths of the leaders of the Turkish Faction at various events.
For instance, a video published on social networks and internet portals shows Masoud Pezeshkian, the head of the Turkish Regions Faction, surrounded by a group of Iranian nationalists during the press exhibition held in Tehran on November 5.
Hassan Rashidi, a well-known Turkish activist and writer residing in the city of Karaj, witnessed the events at the press exhibition.
He wrote the following on his Facebook page:
“They surrounded Dr. Pezeshkian and, with indecent behavior and loud voices, attacked him. They claimed that the establishment of the Turkish Faction violated the law, promoted ethnicism, separatism, and posed a threat to Iran’s national interests... I explained that this faction is not against national interests but is, in fact, necessary for the country's development... I tried to convey that national interests are meaningless without considering the demands and needs of ethnic communities... However, one of them angrily shouted, ‘You are Erdoğan’s spy!’”
Masoud Pezeshkian, a reformist MP from Tabriz and former Minister of Health, is not only the head of the Turkish Regions Faction but also serves as the First Deputy Speaker of the Iranian Parliament.
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| The head of the Turkish Regions Faction, Masoud Pezeshkian, and its spokesperson, Zahra Saei |
A group of historians, in a statement published in Iranian media, addressed Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, claiming that the Turkish Faction would pave the way for the division of a “Great and Unified Iran.”
In addition to collective protests, many Iranian politicians, writers, political activists, and journalists have taken a stance against the Turkish Faction in the press and on social media.
The establishment of the "Turkish Regions Faction" in the Iranian Parliament has been positively received by politicians, media figures, and Turkish activists from Iranian Azerbaijan and other provinces inhabited by Turks. They consider the formation of this faction a significant step toward recognizing the Turkish presence in Iran.
Link to the original text in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
İran millətçiləri "Türk Bölgələri Fraksiyası"na qarşı kampaniya başladıb