Thursday, February 2, 2012 - 1:44 PM
You'd think Azerbaijan might have its hands full with one ongoing territorial dispute, but a group of lawmakers have apparently decided this is a good time to mix things up with Iran. EurasiaNet's Giorgi Losadze explains:
The idea, pitched by minority lawmakers and applauded by representatives of the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan Party, spells trouble for the already less-than-neighborly relations between Azerbaijan and Iran. The name Northern Azerbaijan emphasizes the fact that the Azeri nation is split between an independent state, the Republic of Azerbaijan, and a province in northern Iran, known to many Azerbaijanis as Southern Azerbaijan.[...]
And why not?, asked Yeni Azerbaijan Party parliamentarian Siyavush Novruzov. We already have the examples of North and South Korea, North and South Cyprus, so “Azerbaijan, as a divided state, should be called Northern Azerbaijan,” he argued, Trend reported. The lawmakers have proposed to hold a national referendum on the name change.
The situation is a kind of inverse version of the ongoing naming dispute in Macedonia, which has had to labor under the ungainly name of "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" because Greece feels the name "Macedonia" implies a territorial claim on a region of Northern Greece historically known by that name.
The Azerbaijan naming dispute takes place against the backdrop of what tightened international oil sanctions against Tehran will mean for the country's own oil market.
Hat tip: Joshua Kucera
Iran may launch a nuclear weapon at them to settle the dispute.
IRAN -on the road to self-annihilation
The fascist regime of Irani Mullahs whose evil and bigot ideas of medieval thinking are eventully putting Iran at the brink of extinction.Iran as a country,now, stands in the middle of nowwhere and is surrounded by hostile nations all around.The Arab states in Middle East are already ranking up against Iran, the central Asian states have already sensed the interventional policies of Iran.The hatred against IRan is at the peak in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan and other cenral Asian states.This is in addition to the building up Western stand against it.Iran will soon be squashed to pieces between these hostile forces.THe days of EVIL IRANI AKHUNDS, THE SONS OF DEVIL, THE GREAT ared indeed numbered and soon the poor people of Iran will be liberated!! Wait, the slaves of Iran, We are just comingggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg to liberate you!!
FREEDOM, THY SHALL SEE SOON.
There is a remote possibility not mentioned in the article. If the US ever found itself feeling the need of regime change in Iran and finding no other viable options than the use of force, a large region of Iran (25% of Iran's population) could provide a logical base of locals to join the Free Iranian Army if (not a certainty in my mind) the Iranian Azaria preferred to really be a South Azerbaijan rather than a minority in a largely Persian country.
There is no evidence that they are presenting a realistic military challenge to the Iranian military, it would hardly win support among the majority population and would follow the same pattern as it usually does of atrocities being committed with the American name attached but no American boots on the ground to control the situation. Despite what people claim, the U.S isn't interested in imperialism and so it can't simply empower one group to rule over the others.
The Soviets did this in 1941 when they invaded Iran and set up two client states in northern Iran, one for the Azeri and one for the Kurdish peoples.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Republic_of_Azerbaijan
JohnHunt:
The Azari's for Northern Iran are not the same people as the Azeris. They have a common language, but the Azari are more Iranic, while the Azeri are more Turkic. Also, 170 years of Russian and then Soviet rule has transformed the Azeris culturally from the Azari in northern Iran. Moreover, the Azaris are patriotic citizens of Iran, they dislike Turkey and Azerbaijan, and wouldn't dream of aiding either nation or the West in dismembering Iran. So don't count on their support in any attack on Iran.
And Azerbaijan changing its name to 'Northern Azerbaijan', will only bring Tehran closer to the Armenians in the dispute over Karabakh (Artsakh).
As an Iranian-American Azari, I can assure you that the majority of Azaris (not Azeris from North wherever) are very proud patriotic Iranians.
Any alien forces trying to attack Iran and use the various peoples of Iran will discover to their great chagrin how patriotic all Iranian peoples are when attacked.
You know, Azerbaijan has a lot of oil, too...maybe not as much as Iran, but it's enough to run their economy, and if they want to call themselves KooKooJaJa, I fully support them.
For the innuendos about Iran partly belonging to them, well there are things like that all around the world, and they should be supported for having strong views on such things. After all, it's not like we'll send in the fbi to investigate it.
I think it's time that independent nations are allowed to express their views in their day to day operations.
The real threat to world peace
The US driven by pure greed and manipulated by their Zionist masters, have turned the entire world into a living hell like never before in history. There will be no peace on this Earth until this real Axis of Evil is destroyed.
Come on… Russia, China, Iran..! Quick….Finish the job.!
Azerbaijan only recently became independent country
The USSR had ideas of trying to keep Iranian Azerbaijan, after the Second World War.
And a Russian aim in the First World War was to annex Persian part of Azerbaijan, even though Persia was not engaged in the war.
Resolving dispute with Armenia clearly is the better focus of the country's energies.
1. to start with, it must be mentioned that there is a large ethnicity of azeris living in Iran (Tabriz, Ardebil, etc). Estimates are it is roughtly 15 million. In this case, the modern and independent Azerbaijan happens to be a parent state with its enthicity being only 8.5 million, while that of the azeris in Iran accounts for almost 2wice as much. This is the truth. And I dont think anyone can negate it. And the run-up of elections back few years ago showed the support for Mussavi, an ethnic azeri in Iran, and how quickly the shovinistic q
1. to start with, it must be mentioned that there is a large ethnicity of azeris living in Iran (Tabriz, Ardebil, etc). Estimates are it is roughtly 15 million. In this case, the modern and independent Azerbaijan happens to be a parent state with its enthicity being only 8.5 million, while that of the azeris in Iran accounts for almost 2wice as much. This is the truth. And I dont think anyone can negate it. And the run-up of elections back few years ago showed the support for Mussavi, an ethnic azeri in Iran, and how quickly the shovinistic qualities of the clerical Iranian regime pushed him off the race. Plus, that azeri ethnicity never sleeps, and always causes trouble for the clerical regime in Tehran. And one would be very naive and myopic not to take into account that as the real force. This cannot be ignored. That's just the true side of domestic politics in Iran.
2. what Iranian clerical regime does is it thinks it can shut up the voices for ethnic and cultural liberties of ethnic azeris in Iran. That's just plain wrong and just delays the trouble for later years. Soon or late, that'll just blow into unrest unless the democracy is the ruling word in Iran.
3. yes, many iranian azeri ethnicity representatives are represented in the parliament, government and economy, but they can't cause a big mess, as the clerical regime's arms gets them all the time. not for now. but wait a bit. and things will be happening different way in several years if not soon. and yes, i admit that some of those in power cannot represent the voice of ethnic azeries in Iran. just because people and politics in Iran are driven by fear, and not freedom, not opportunities.
4. what happened in 1941 was actually the partioning of Azerbaijan into iranian and soviet parts, because both of the big regional pwers realised they could sort out issues between each other as lon as the azeri khanates (small kingdoms but already uniting amongst each other) were kept apart. What happened was the smart use of time on the side of Iran and the Soviet sides. That was never the choice of Azerbaijani people, neither those living in north, nor those living in south. Brothers and sisters, relatives were separated by the sudden establishment of the border!
so, study before indulging yourselves into meaningless speculative comments here. check youtube, inet sources on azeri youth movements and deprivatiohistory n of azeries rights in Iran!
5. ut the main thing now is to not let Azerbaijan and azeri ethnicity in Iran get caught up in big politics again. We won't be scapegoated again in our history.
we learn lessons from our history.
cheers.
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