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| Mehsa Mehdili |
In an interview with Voice of America, Mahsa Mehdili says that the Islamic Republic of Iran's policy regarding Karabakh is leading to a strengthening of both national patriotism and national identity awareness in Iranian Azerbaijan.
Since September 29, support rallies for Karabakh have been held in Iranian Azerbaijan and other regions where Turks live. These protests include slogans against Iran’s support for Armenia, with the Islamic Republic "sponsoring Armenia."
Mahsa Mehdili expresses that broad segments of society in Iranian Azerbaijan have participated in these actions.
"These protests share several common points. The first is a strong objection to Iran declaring Armenia as a friend and brother and establishing relations based on this. Another issue is the broad support for the Azerbaijani army. Moreover, we can specifically see that those sending messages of support view themselves as part of Azerbaijan. They see the Karabakh issue as one of their primary concerns," she says.
The political activist adds, "The Iranian government’s longstanding friendly and brotherly relationship with Armenia, without considering the sensitivities of our society, has caused significant frustration."
According to her, the Iranian government adjusts its policy toward Turkey and the Republic of Azerbaijan "considering the Turkish population within Iran and the issue of South Azerbaijan."
"Looking at the Iranian government's stance toward both Turkey and Azerbaijan, we see that it has acted antagonistically, taking into account the Azerbaijani and Turkish potential within Iran. We saw this in Turkey’s actions in Syria and in Azerbaijan's stance in the Karabakh conflict," Mehdili notes.
She also emphasizes that Iranian opposition groups have acted in the same direction as the Iranian government on this issue:
"On this matter, there hasn’t been much difference between the Iranian government and Tehran-based opposition groups in their stance toward Azerbaijan. This has further widened the gap between Turks and Tehran-based groups."
According to Mehdili, "Now, a movement centered in Tabriz has begun. Thanks to social media and the increase in contacts, we can read their actions better. After the events in Karabakh, both the central government and the opposition have shown positions that have further strengthened the awareness of Turkish identity and the concept of Azerbaijani patriotism."
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
“İranın Qarabağ siyasəti Güney Azərbaycanda türklük şüuru və vətən anlayışını gücləndirir”