HAVAR
PERIODICAL IS TRYING TO STIR ETHNIC TENSION
Urumiyah
City Council member Khadije Mansuri’s desciption of
“Azerbaijan Province as North Kurdistan”, also published in
Havar periodical has caused tension.
In the 01
December publication, Havar periodical published a story in
which provinces of Kurdistan, West Azerbaijan, Ilam and
Kermanshah” were claimed to be originally Kurdish regions
and South Azearbaijanis living in these provinces were
thousand year old guests arriving from other regions. The
Ulduz periodical rejected these statements and stated that
“these allegations were humorous” and warning “the
possibility of a similar adventure taking place here like
the Turkish-Kurdish one in Kirkuk”. After the statement,
members of Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) wanted to hold a
demonstration in front of Ulduz periodical but decided
otherwise when South Azerbaijani students gathered before
the building.
Upon these
developments, the formation known as “Defense of Western
Azerbaijan Peoples Committee” wrote a letter to senior
officials of the region and to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamanei regarding the latest ethnical tensions in the
region and requested a response to these tensions,
highlighting the possibility of serious incidents unless
necessary steps were not taken.
Meanwhile,
Haj Amir Dolat Penah, Revolutionary Guard Commander in
Sulduz,, made a speech in South Azerbaijani Turkish, at the
sports awards ceremony and stated that “Kurdish terrorists
had also tried to claim Azerbaijani territory in the 1980’s
and that they would fight with full power against those
harboring such a view nourished from abroad as well as those
who plan to invade their homeland”.
