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| Simin Sabri |
Spokesperson for the Azerbaijan Democratic Unity organization, Simin Sabri, told Voice of America, “We seek the right to self-determination for Azerbaijan within Iran, meaning within a federal framework. This fundamentally sets us apart from organizations that advocate for independence.”
“All organizations want Azerbaijan to be freed from internal colonialism. This is a common and fundamental demand. But in what form, under what structure? What kind of state—right-wing, left-wing, liberal? These questions remain unanswered, leading to confusion. In the national movement, we don’t see clear distinctions between one party and another,” she says.
Sabri acknowledges that within the South Azerbaijan National Movement, those who support independence outnumber those advocating for a federal Iran. However, she criticizes the high number of independence-seeking organizations:
“It’s unclear how these pro-independence groups differentiate from each other. There are ten parties advocating for secession, yet when you look at their platforms, messages, and rhetoric, they all say the same things. But still, there are ten separate organizations.”
Sabri emphasizes that the Azerbaijan Democratic Unity organization, which supports a federal government system for Iran’s future, distinguishes itself from other Southern Azerbaijani groups in this context.
“When it comes to our organization, both we and others recognize a key distinction. We seek the right to self-determination within Iran. We want federalism. This completely changes our path and our stance on current issues,” she states.
Sabri believes that the dominance of separatist ideas has marginalized South Azerbaijan National Movement forces from Iran’s political landscape.
“Compared to Arabs, Kurds, and Balochs, our movement has a higher number of pro-independence supporters… This prevents us from effectively engaging in Iran’s political waves and currents. It completely sidelines us,” she adds.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Simin Səbri: Bizim yolumuz fərqlidir, müstəqillik deyil, federal bir İran istəyirik