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| Mehsa Mehdili |
"Of course, we will support the faction. But as much as we support it, we must also follow it closely and be cautious. We must analyze it correctly," says Mehsa Mehdili, evaluating the stance of Turkish activists toward the Turkish Regional Faction established in the Iranian Parliament. In an interview with Voice of America, the national activist discusses both the views supporting and opposing the Turkish Faction. She considers the fact that the faction’s name reflects Turkish identity rather than the "Azeri identity" imposed by the system to be a significant achievement.
"The establishment of the faction showed that the two wings of the Islamic Republic—reformist and conservative—do not respond in Azerbaijan... Therefore, we see members of both wings in this faction."
Mehdili considers the reflection of Turkish identity in the faction's name a major success.
She says, "The regime realized that there is a Turkish movement in Southern Azerbaijan at its core, and this movement does not only affect Southern Azerbaijan but also other regions. One of the foundations of this movement is to try to impose its identity as it is, not the identity imposed by the regime. From this perspective, it is a great and historic achievement... They saw that the policy of forming the Azeri identity, which started during the Pahlavi era, was not yielding results."
While living in exile in Turkey, the activist emphasizes that while supporting the Turkish Regional Faction, its activities must be carefully monitored and analyzed correctly:
"This could be a double-edged sword. It is an important and positive step, but one side could also be a project to control the National Movement and create an alternative to our demands. Of course, we will support it, but as much as we support it, we must follow this project closely and be cautious. We must analyze it correctly."
Mehsa Mehdili points out that Iranian nationalists who oppose the Turkish Regional Faction primarily see Turkish identity as a threat.
"The forces opposing the Turkish Faction mostly see Turkish identity and the name itself as a threat. Their sensitivity is towards the Turkish name... From the interviews I have watched and the reactions I have seen, I think that if it had been named Azeri, there wouldn’t have been this much sensitivity... Iranian identity is praised in opposition to Turkish identity. This has, knowingly or unknowingly, been adopted by Iranian nationalists and intellectuals," she adds.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Məhsa Mehdili: Türk Fraksiyasının təsisi ‘azəri kimliyi’ layihəsinin nəticə vermədiyini göstərdi