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| Said Azizi, political activist |
Recently, a map published on the official website of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (DPK) caused protests from some Southern organizations. Political activist Said Azizi told Voice of America that activists and organizations belonging to non-Persian ethnic communities can only resolve their conflicts through dialogue.
According to Azizi, for nearly the past 100 years, the Iranian authorities have pursued policies aimed at creating divisions between different ethnic communities.
"Over the past 100 years, changing the demographic structure has been the primary policy of the Iranian governments. By doing this, their first goal was to assimilate non-Persian nations and increase the number of Persians as much as possible. To achieve this, they increased investment in Persian regions and relocated people from poorer areas there. For a long period, their plan was to relocate neighboring nations to each other's territories. Of course, some of these people were forced to migrate due to living conditions. People from rural areas moved to cities, from poor regions to richer regions, and from undeveloped areas to industrialized regions."
Said Azizi draws attention to the "national" states established in various non-Persian regions of modern Iran, explaining that the Iranian government acts based on past experiences:
"National movements in Iran have always been strong. For example, 75 years ago, we saw the states established by these nations across Iran. Iranian authorities have previously experimented with the idea that non-Persian nations have both the capability and the strong will to establish their own national states in their regions."
The political activist believes that in addition to the government's policies, mistakes made by activists and organizations belonging to ethnic communities can also prevent the resolution of conflicts:
"We ourselves have also made big mistakes. I'm not just talking about the Turks, but non-Persian groups in general... We have all become part of the opposition, and we work on various fronts. On one side, we fight against the government. On the other side, there are struggles for women's rights, workers' rights, and more. But we forget one thing. For example, in addition to the difficulties faced by the Turks, the region itself has its own problems. If healthcare services are weak, it's not only the Turks who suffer, but everyone living there."
Azizi criticizes organizations belonging to non-Persian ethnic communities for neglecting the problems of other minority communities in their regions:
"When we look at the news, we only write about the oppression of Turks in Azerbaijan. However, Azerbaijan is not only home to Turks. For example, if we, the Turks, write about the situation of the Kurds in Azerbaijan in our media, and treat them as part of our population, it would create a sense of sincerity between the nations. It's not just the Turks, but Arabs and Kurds should do the same in their regions."
He adds: "When we say in the future that we will establish a state in Azerbaijan, other nations besides the Turks will also live there. We must protect them as citizens of a federal or independent Azerbaijan. We have Sunnis, Shiites, Jews, and minorities of other nations and religions. If we cannot defend their rights today, they will fear seeing themselves as part of Azerbaijan in the future. Therefore, the Kurds of Azerbaijan, the Turks in Kurdistan, and the Kurds should also care for the interests of these peoples."
Said Azizi emphasizes that conflicts between organizations belonging to other ethnic communities can only be resolved through dialogue.
"Such conflicts are things that can only be resolved through dialogue. Because, firstly, neither in Azerbaijan nor in Kurdistan is there an organization that holds the mandate of the entire nation. Such a force does not exist. Therefore, any decision or agreement made today cannot be binding on the entire nation. However, there are attempts among the parties... Organizations should not claim territorial rights over other ethnic communities. In the future, states that belong to us will reach agreements with each other, and that will have legal legitimacy," the political activist states.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Səid Əzizi: Qeyri-fars millətlərə mənsub təşkilatlar ixtilaflarını ancaq müzakirə yolu ilə çözə bilərlər