 |
| Qurban Azimi |
According to Qurban Azimi, forces close to the Iranian authorities are pursuing policies aimed at creating hostility between Turks and other ethnic communities and isolating Iranian Azerbaijan. Speaking to Voice of America, the political expert, who is studying in Turkey, evaluated the anti-Turkish propaganda and slogans emerging in the media and other platforms.
“Attacks and threats against Turks in Iran are nothing new. However, we are witnessing an abnormal increase in these attacks recently. This is evident on state television and in newspapers, as well as on social media, where it manifests in other ways.”
He explains that these attacks generally target “the identity of Turks and the geography and lands they inhabit.”
The political expert draws attention to offensive slogans chanted by fans of Tehran-based football clubs in stadiums, emphasizing that these slogans are intentionally orchestrated:
“In stadiums, offensive slogans against Turks are chanted in a planned manner. It is very clear that these are directed by forces close to the government. By insulting Turks, their aim is both to implement an aspect of their assimilation policy and to create Turk-Persian hostility. They are trying to isolate Turks so that, in the event of future developments, they cannot unite with others.”
Qurban Azimi also highlights the recent tensions between Ardabil and Gilan provinces over the “Heyran Pass dispute.”
“They aim to create enmity between Turks and neighboring communities in both the West and the East, as well as with the Persian society in the center. Their goal is to surround Azerbaijan with hostility and isolate it. They want to prevent the unification of ethnic communities in Azerbaijan. This way, they hope to preempt potential uprisings against the regime in the future.”
 |
| Statements by President Rouhani's advisor, Ali Younesi, claiming that the population in Iranian Azerbaijan consists of Turkified Azeris, have sparked widespread reactions. |
Turkish activists have recently protested articles published in reformist newspapers such as Ghanoon and Shargh. These protests intensified after an interview with Hojjat al-Islam Ali Younesi, the Iranian president’s advisor on minority affairs, was published in Ghanoon. Turkish members of parliament also joined these protests.
In the interview, Ali Younesi claimed that the population living in Azerbaijan consists of "Azeris" who were later Turkified. In response, 50 members of the Iranian parliament signed a joint letter condemning what they described as the “insulting” of Turks by Younesi.
According to Qurban Azimi, although the "anti-Turkish propaganda" is published in reformist newspapers, attacks are carried out in parallel by both conservative and reformist groups.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Qurban Əzimi: İran hakimiyyəti düşmənlik yaratmağa çalışır