President Rouhani's advisor, Ali Younesi, has faced widespread backlash for his statements claiming that the population in Iranian Azerbaijan consists of Turkified Azeris. In response, 50 members of the Iranian Parliament signed a joint letter of protest.
In an interview published in Ghanoon newspaper on April 21, the Iranian President's advisor on minority affairs alleged that the population of Iranian Azerbaijan comprises “Azeris who later learned Turkish.”
“Azeris’ language and roots were Persian. They are more Persian than the population of many regions. Azeris and Kurds are twin brothers and belong to the Median people,” Hojjat al-Islam Ali Younesi stated in the Ghanoon article.
Highlighting that the majority of Iran’s population shares “the same origin, lineage, and language,” Younesi emphasized that unity among ethnic communities is essential for preserving Iran’s territorial integrity.
Following rising reactions to the advisor’s comments, especially among Turkish activists, 50 members of the Iranian Parliament signed a joint letter condemning Younesi for “insulting Turks.”
The letter, submitted to Parliament as a “legal reminder,” was signed not only by MPs from Iranian Azerbaijan but also by Turkish and Turkmen MPs from regions such as Tehran, Turkmensahra, Garmsar, Qashqai territory, and Khorasan.
Addressing President Rouhani, the letter expressed regret over the advisor’s remarks:
“Unfortunately, Your Excellency’s advisor has insulted Turks, who make up 40% of the country’s population, in the worst possible manner in an interview with Ghanoon newspaper on the subject of ethnic communities. To ensure that Muslim Turks in Iran do not feel alienated, we hope that you will soon respond to this individual’s baseless, offensive, and unfounded remarks, which evoke memories of the Reza Shah era.”
A copy of the MPs’ letter was published by the online portal Yol Press, which operates in Urmia.
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The protest letter from Turkish members of parliament |
Link to the original text in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Prezident müşavirinin “İranda türk yoxdur” açıqlamasına reaksiya