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| Nasib Nasibli |
According to Nasib Nasibli, a national movement must unite the various ideologies and political perspectives within society. In an interview with Voice of America, the researcher and historian evaluated the influence of organizations within the national movement in Iran’s Azerbaijan, stating that the current southern Azerbaijani organizations are not at a level that meets the needs of the present time.
"The region where South Azerbaijan is located resembles a boiling cauldron, and in the near future, the redrawing of the borders in the Middle East will be on the agenda. Experts and politicians alike are discussing this. As a nation, are we prepared for these crises, or will we once again, as in the past, be forced into hasty and last-minute organization?"
Highlighting that "the level of national organization in Iran’s Azerbaijan is not at the desired level," the researcher emphasized that this problem must be solved without any excuses:
"This is an issue that does not allow for any excuses. One might say that the conditions in Iran are not suitable. One might say there is no support from abroad. These are all just excuses. If there is a true national will, it is capable of solving all these problems."
Nasibli continued:
"Of course, we have tens of thousands of dedicated national activists. There are individuals imprisoned for the cause. There are groups operating abroad. There are organizations that declare themselves as political parties. We must acknowledge their efforts. However, what is needed is a party that meets the demands of the present era, has influence, and can lead the nation."
He stressed the importance of national movements being inclusive of all ideological and political perspectives within society.
"If we are talking about a national movement, we must acknowledge that nationalism is an integrative movement. It must include right-wing and left-wing views, radicals, liberals, secularists, and even religious factions. A nation cannot think in the way that only one group dictates. It consists of various ideological currents, and these must be represented. It cannot be monopolized by a single group."
The historian underlined the need to analyze the past organizations in Iran’s Azerbaijan, particularly their shortcomings, to learn valuable lessons from their experiences.
"There are links between past organizations and today’s groups. The current generation has emerged from both the strengths and weaknesses of the previous one. Today, the activities of past organizations must be seriously analyzed, and lessons must be drawn. For instance, there was the local branch of the Iran Democratic Party, the Azerbaijan Democratic Party, led by Khiabani. To what extent was it a national party? We need to analyze its failures in particular because it was unsuccessful. If it failed, it means there were mistakes made."
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Nəsib Nəsibli: Hər bir milli hərəkatda bütün siyasi düşüncələr əks olunmalıdır