04/04/2014 15:33
Talysh regions of Azerbaijan may separate, after Crimea’s example
The Talysh-populated regions of Azerbaijan are likely to separate, after the example of Crimea,” says an article available on arannews.ir.
The Iranian source, citing the article published in ‘Gundam Khabar’ Azerbaijani daily, says in particular: “New processes are brewing in Azerbaijan after Crimean peninsula’s unification with Russia. Particularly, the opportunity of Azerbaijani northern regions’ joining Russia is being discussed’.
Indicating the recent international conferences on the rights of Azerbaijan’s indigenous peoples, the article author writes: “It is not ruled out that one day Russia will implement Crimea’s scenario in Azerbaijan as well. In the context of the Crimea events, Azerbaijan’s southern regions populated by Talyshs are also likely to separate”.
We would remind you that addressing the problems of the Talyshs in Azerbaijan in his speech at the recent conference ‘Reconciliation and Peace-building in the South Caucasus’ in the European Parliament, Hummatov said in particular:
Azerbaijan has not yet ratified the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. The Talyshs have chosen a peaceful and democratic path of a struggle to liberate their historical homeland and the Talysh national movement works towards only the establishment of peace”.
According to Hummatov, “Azerbaijan has placed the name ‘Talysh’ under a taboo: Azerbaijan’s pro-government media use the term ‘Southern Region’ instead of Talyshstan, while the name ‘Lankaran Khanate’ is used instead of ‘Talysh Khanate’ in school textbooks. Any step by the Talyshs to preserve their national culture and historic heritage is labeled as separatist”.
“For more than two decades, the Azerbaijani authorities have avoided opening Talysh schools and Talysh-language radio and television in the southern regions of Azerbaijan. About 1.5 million Talyshs live in Azerbaijan, although official Baku presents their number as small. Despite the large Talysh population, the Azerbaijani authorities make great efforts to prevent the Talyshs from being part in the country’s population structure: Azerbaijan is trying to annihilate the Talyshs and destroy their culture,” Alikram Hummantov said.
Earlier Alikram Hummatov visited Armenia and Artsakh in October 2013. He made a speech at Iranian Studies Sub-Department of Yerevan State University, addressing the problems of Talyshs in Azerbaijan. He said in particular: “The Talyshs in Azerbaijan are deprived of basic rights. We, the Talyshs, are not respected, we are exterminated. A policy of assimilation is being carried out against us, and then they say that we are brothers. This is illogical. We want to read and write in our native language. In response to our demands, they (the Azerbaijani authorities) openly declare: “You, the Talyshs, have no future, you must be assimilated”.
In an interview with the Public Television of Artsakh, when asked by the reporter if they would again fight on the opposite side of trenches in case of a war, the Talysh national figure said: “God forbid. I don’t want the Talyshs to participate in that war. I am making an appeal from here. It will not be our war. We don’t need it. I also say to all the other peoples: Why endanger our lives that God endowed us with in a war which will not give us anything”.