Academicians of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences have addressed a letter to the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Masoud Pezeşkian.
According to elchi, the appeal states that President Pezeşkian’s conversations in Azerbaijani during his meetings with the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, and during his visits to Baku, Shusha, and Khankendi, guarantee the establishment of more sincere interstate relations, earn respect for the Iranian state, and create broad opportunities for strengthening mutual trust.
“Considering all this, we deem it necessary and important to appeal to you regarding the realization of the rights of the Azerbaijani people, who constitute a large part of the population in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Dear President!
Ethnic Azerbaijanis living in Iran are making efforts and putting forward initiatives for education in their native language in secondary and higher education institutions, and for the existence of press and literature in their mother tongue. However, their legal rights in this regard have not yet been fulfilled. This naturally causes serious concern among Iranian Azerbaijanis. Because today, there are very few peoples in the world deprived of the ability to read and write in their native language. We also believe that, like other peoples of the world, ethnic Azerbaijanis living in Iran should have their right to education in their native language guaranteed.
In this regard, your speaking in Azerbaijani at events held in the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as during your visit to the Republic of Azerbaijan, and reciting some parts of the famous poem “Heydarbaba’ya Salam” by the great Azerbaijani and Iranian poet Mohammad-Hossein Shahriar, and drawing instructive examples, are met with great favor by the people in the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as in Iran.
At the same time, your communication with representatives of various peoples in different regions of the Islamic Republic of Iran, including Azerbaijanis, in their native language, serves to further strengthen the respect and esteem shown to you as a head of state.
Dear President!
Your fair assessment of the friendly and good-neighborly relations shown by the Azerbaijani state under the leadership of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, during the fateful moments experienced by the Islamic Republic of Iran in recent years, is a clear indication of your objectivity as a head of state.
Considering all these matters, we believe that you will ensure the fulfillment of the centuries-old aspirations of Iranian Azerbaijanis by taking measures at the state level for them to receive education in their native language, in their mother tongue, Azerbaijani,” the appeal stated.
The appeal also stated that there is a serious need for the opening of schools in Azerbaijani for the education of ethnic Azerbaijanis living in Iran: “Furthermore, granting permission for the publication of newspapers and magazines in Azerbaijani in Iran, and the publication of scientific and literary works in Azerbaijani are issues that require urgent solutions. These could also be significant steps in ensuring the rights of the Azerbaijani people living in Iran, as defined by the Constitution of your country.
Respecting the mother tongue, national literature, and culture of peoples, and taking practical measures in this direction is an important historical duty for a head of state. We believe that during your presidency, the right of Azerbaijanis living in Iran to read and write in their native language will be guaranteed.
Dear President!
We, the scholars signing this letter, are the authors of numerous textbooks and research works on Azerbaijani language and literature, compilers of dictionaries and encyclopedias. We can provide any number of textbooks and additional literature, artistic and scientific works, encyclopedias, and dictionaries as gifts to schools where education will be conducted in Azerbaijani in Iran. We consider it our duty to bring to your high attention that we are ready to teach in schools organized for instruction in the Azerbaijani language in Iran on the basis of interstate agreements, free of charge.”
The letter was signed by the following representatives of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences:
1. Nadir Mammadli – Director of the Nasimi Institute of Linguistics of ANAS, Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor;
2. Mehman Hasanli – Deputy Director for Scientific Work and Digital Development at the Nizami Ganjavi Institute of Literature of ANAS, Doctor of Philological Sciences;
3. Ghazanfar Pashayev – Honored Scientist, Senior Researcher at the Nizami Ganjavi Institute of Literature of ANAS, Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor;
4. Imamverdi Hamidov – Head of the Department of Early and Renaissance Azerbaijani Literature at the Nizami Ganjavi Institute of Literature of ANAS, Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor;
5. Ismail Mammadli – Head of the Department of Applied Linguistics at the Nasimi Institute of Linguistics of ANAS, Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor;
6. Sarxan Khaveri – Head of the Department of Science and Education at the Apparatus of the Presidium of ANAS, Doctor of Philological Sciences;
7. Ismail Kazimov – Head of the Department of Turkology at the Nasimi Institute of Linguistics of ANAS, Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor;
8. Ilham Tahirov – Head of the Department of Cultural Linguistics at the Nasimi Institute of Linguistics of ANAS, Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor;
9. Aygul Hajiyeva – Head of the Department of Turkic Manuscripts at the Muhammad Fuzuli Institute of Manuscripts of ANAS, Doctor of Philological Sciences;
10. Farida Azizova – Head of the Department of Medieval Azerbaijani Literature at the Nizami Ganjavi Institute of Literature of ANAS, Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor;
11. Nargiz Hajiyeva – Head of the Department of Modern Azerbaijani Language and Speech Culture at the Nasimi Institute of Linguistics of ANAS, Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor;
12. Akif Imanli – Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor;
13. Afzaladdin Asgarov – Head of the Department of Folklore of Turkic Peoples at the Institute of Folklore of ANAS, Doctor of Philological Sciences;
14. Leyla Mammadova – Head of the Department of Folklore and Written Literature at the Institute of Folklore of ANAS, Doctor of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor;
15. Khadija Heydarova – Head of the Department of the History of the Azerbaijani Language at the Nasimi Institute of Linguistics of ANAS, Doctor of Philosophy in Philology, Associate Professor;
16. Arzu Mammadkhanli – Scientific Secretary of the Division of Humanities of ANAS, Doctor of Philosophy in Philology;
17. Zumrud Mansimova – Scientific Secretary of the Division of Social Sciences of ANAS, Doctor of Philosophy in Philology, Associate Professor;
18. Aynur Mahmud – Chairman of the Trade Union Organization of the Apparatus of the Presidium of ANAS, Doctor of Philosophy in Philology;
19. Asmar Aliyeva – Head of Department at the Apparatus of the Presidium of ANAS, Doctor of Philosophy in Philology;
20. Sariyya Gündoğdu – Head of the Department of Turkic Philology at the Ziya Bunyadov Institute of Oriental Studies of ANAS, Doctor of Philosophy in Philology, Associate Professor.