 |
| The plane belonging to ATA Airlines. |
Rasoul Bargei, a member of the Tabriz City Council, has expressed support for the use of Azerbaijani Turkish welcome announcements on flights at Tabriz Airport by ATA Airlines. He emphasized the importance of this step in preserving linguistic diversity. Bargei also condemned the disrespectful behavior towards Turks in the country and stressed the necessity of fighting against the negative portrayal of Turks in official media.
According to video footage shared on social media, Bargei spoke at an open session of the City Council, suggesting that the controversy over ATA Airlines' use of short Turkish greetings on Tabriz flights was not the people's main concern. He argued that the real issue was the outdated state of the country's aircraft.
The initiative for Turkish greetings at Tabriz Airport is being implemented by the airline company led by Mohammadreza Zonuzi and is seen as promoting linguistic diversity. However, recently some social media users have sharply criticized this step, viewing it as promoting ethnocentrism and separatism.
The topic gained more attention after Zonuzi responded strongly to the issue during an interview discussing the problems of the Tractor football team. He stated that his company considered the initiative in line with the country's constitution.
Recently, some local media outlets have reported, citing Iran Air spokesperson Jafar Yazarlu, that the practice of Turkish greetings had been banned. Although the reports claimed that greetings in languages other than Persian and English were prohibited, they were quickly removed from the websites, and no official information was released on the matter.
It is currently unclear whether the airline still provides Turkish announcements for passengers at Tabriz Airport. In the midst of these discussions, Rasoul Bargei focused attention on the technical problems of Iran Air and the aging aircraft. He mentioned that due to the old age of the planes, some high-ranking officials had opted to use ground transportation instead of flying, emphasizing that the main issue for the public was not the language of the welcome announcements but the technical condition of the aviation fleet.
Bargei also noted that insulting statements towards Turks continue on Iran's state radio and television channels, stressing that official authorities are responsible for preventing such insults.
Ibrahim Rashidi (Savalan), a journalist and national activist from Iranian Azerbaijan, shared his views on the debate over Turkish greetings at Tabriz Airport on his Instagram page. He pointed out the existing fear of the Turkish language in the country.
Rashidi suggested that "Turkophobia" is a social issue in the country, writing: "One of the most widespread forms of xenophobia in Iran is Turkophobia, which cannot be called 'Turkofobia' because a Turk who does not speak Turkish has no fear of it and even becomes the favorite of others."
So far, neither Iran Air nor any other official sources have issued a statement on this matter.
Link to the original text in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Təbriz Şəhər Şurasının üzvü reyslərdə sərnişinlərin türkcə qarşılanmasını dəstəkləyib