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| Shakur Purhuseyn, a member of parliament from Bilasuvar and Parsabad |
Members of Parliament from Iranian Azerbaijan are facing difficulties in expressing their views regarding the Republic of Azerbaijan. The Ministry of Intelligence (Ettelaat) is urging them to take a stance against Azerbaijan.
Shukur Purhoseyn, the representative of Bilasuvar and Parsabad cities, raised these issues during a candid conversation with local journalists.
"Recently, the Ministry of Intelligence criticized us. They asked why we are not taking a position on matters related to Azerbaijan," the MP is heard saying in an audio clip shared on his Telegram channel.
The MP made these remarks in response to a question from local journalist Alirza Erjengi, who highlighted that the residents of the region are not being allowed to benefit from the shared border with Azerbaijan.
Purhoseyn criticized the Islamic Republic for viewing its borders as a threat rather than an opportunity.
According to him, MPs are hesitant to express their opinions on matters related to Azerbaijan because they are not well-informed about the Islamic Republic's policy toward Azerbaijan.
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| From left: Sodeif Badri, Masoud Pezeshkian, and Reza Rahmani. |
The Parsabad MP referred to conversations with Sodeif Badri, the MP from Ardabil, and Reza Rahmani, the former MP from Tabriz (currently a minister):
"Mr. Badri said that recently, we went to the Republic of Azerbaijan with Dr. Pezeshkian (the MP from Tabriz and First Deputy Speaker of the Iranian Parliament). The Speaker of the Turkish Parliament was also there. He gave a speech, and everyone applauded. We told Mr. Pezeshkian to stand up and speak as well. Mr. Pezeshkian replied, 'I cannot say anything here. I don’t know what Iran’s policy is toward Azerbaijan.'"
The Parsabad MP confirmed that expressing an opinion on the Republic of Azerbaijan is a sensitive issue. However, Reza Rahmani, the former MP from Tabriz and current Minister of Industry, Mines, and Trade, stated that Masud Pezeshkian should have spoken.
"Dr. Reza Rahmani said that Pezeshkian should have spoken, and he should have spoken in Turkish so that they would applaud him too. We said, 'Brother, we don’t know what [Iran’s] policy is toward Azerbaijan... Now they say that Azerbaijan is moving closer to Israel and America. We have lost. A government has come to power in Armenia that has good relations with America. We are somewhat stuck in the middle,'" Shukur Purhoseyn explained, recounting his conversation with the two other politicians.
Criticizing the Islamic Republic's view of shared borders, Purhoseyn added, "I believe that if we view borders as an opportunity, we can benefit from them. For now, borders are seen as a threat in Iran."
Before entering politics, Shukur Purhoseyn, the MP from Biləsuvar and Parsabad (Mughan), served as a judge in Iranian courts for 15 years.
In 2016, nearly 100 Turkish MPs from Iranian Azerbaijan and other regions of the country formed the "Turkish Regions Faction" in the Iranian Parliament. However, there is no information on whether this faction, which has been inactive since its formation, still exists.
Link to the original text in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
“Ettelaat Azərbaycan Respublikasına qarşı mövqe birldirməmizi istəyir”