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| Simin Sabri, political activist |
Recently, the second conference titled "The Role of Azerbaijan in the Formation of Sustainable Democracy in Iran" was held at Hamburg University in Germany.
Simin Sabri, spokesperson for the Azerbaijan Democratic Party and one of the organizers of the conference, spoke to Voice of America about the purpose and objectives of the event. Sabri said that the goal of the conference was to provide a platform for the boycotted Azerbaijani movement and Turks, as well as to serve as a bridge for connecting the "progressive" forces of the Iranian opposition.
According to Sabri, "As we promised, this was the second conference under the same title, 'Azerbaijan and the Process of Forming Sustainable Democracy,' which was held at Hamburg University this time. Some of the talks given at the conference have been published in written form, some are being edited, and some have been published at the Turkish Women's Center because many of the topics addressed were related to women's issues."
Sabri stated that the conference was organized by a working group consisting of various political parties, associations, and independent activists.
"For this conference, the people who put in the effort, and as we promised, our aim is to hold it twice a year, in the spring and fall, are a group of people, some of whom, like me, are party members, and others are completely independent individuals. There are also our dear friends who are active in various cultural centers in Germany. This has no direct connection with any political party, including our party. However, members of our party (the Azerbaijan Democratic Party) were very active there," said the political activist.
Sabri emphasized that one of the goals of these conferences was to break the boycott imposed on Turks and the Azerbaijani Movement by Iranian political groups and media:
"We thought that as Azerbaijanis and Turks, whether independent or federalists, we face a large boycott from the Iranian opposition. We have no media. Financial support is also at zero level. We thought, what opportunities do we have that we can bring ourselves together? How can we be present in the field? We decided to invest our own resources, energy, and time so that we could organize a conference that would gradually become a tradition and slowly serve as a platform."
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| Shirin Ebadi, Iranian human rights lawyer |
Simin Sabri also noted that the conferences could serve as a bridge between Turkish activists and the "progressive" forces of the Iranian opposition.
"Let’s build a bridge where not only Turks but also democratic, secular, and especially forces that defend the rights of nations from the Iranian progressive opposition can come... The aim of these conferences is to create a space for dialogue, and even for speakers who challenge each other to be present here," added the political activist.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Simin Səbri İran Azərbaycanına həsr olunmuş konfrans barədə Amerikanın Səsinə danışıb