The "Eastern Azeri" Leader Defends Self-Determination Right

PanARMENIAN.Net - Mohammadaly Chehraganly is the founder and leader of the National Revival Movement of South Azerbaijan. His underground activities in the motherland have been under way till 2003 when he came to Baku from Tavriz under the pretence of medical treatment and later on moved to the United States hoping to win the support of American special services. Since those times he has been carrying out his harmful activities from the other side of the ocean. Chehraganly has several times attempted to visit Baku and Ankara but was rejected in giving an entry visa. And suddenly, at the height of mass disorders in Iran, Azerbaijan and Turkey make Chehraganly understand that they would be glad to accept him. Consulate formalities did not take a long time. It is fairly obvious that the decision to give Chehraganly entry visas was agreed with appropriate U.S. structures which were most likely the initiators of the "invitation". The politician's visit to Baku and Ankara was to become a specific way of influence on Iranian authorities, as well as a means give courage to Iranian Azeris who continue organizing actions of disobedience. The decision to deport Chehraganly was even more surprising. In Ankara he was offered to choose a country where he would prefer to move and just on the next day he was deported from Baku where he had arrived from Turkey.

So what was the whole story about? It can be supposed that the unexpected reconsideration of Turkish and Azeri authorities' attitude towards Mohammadaly Chehraganly was conditioned by certain changes in Iranian politics towards United States. It looks like Americans got scared of the uncontrolled wave which has swallowed North-Western Turkish-populated provinces of Iran. No matter how hard Americans try to collapse Ahmadinejad's regime, they are not ready to pay for that with the collapse of the country and the coming of unpredictable leaders. It is worth paying attention on the fact that the West practically did not react on the repressions towards separatists from Iranian authorities. But if we believe Azeri sources, during the past month 35 activists were killed, thousands of people were wounded and ten thousand people were arrested in Turkish speaking regions of Iran. Chehraganly, who actively cooperated with American special services and did not conceal his hopes for Washington, is now deeply offended with the White House. In his last interview after deportation from Turkey he said that Washington is mistakenly staking on other ethnic groups. "It looks like the White House is not interested in the strengthening of the Turkic world", Chehraganly said. Thus, it can be presumed that the Iraqi scheme will not be applied in the case with Iran. No one is going to entrust Azeris with the mission which was entrusted to Kurds. The United States will not connive at Turkic separatists in exchange for their support in the elimination of the current regime.

This is extremely important for Armenia, since it is hard to say what would happen if Americans staked on Azeri separatists. Chehraganly does not conceal that his task is to create an independent "South-Azerbaijanian Turkic Republic" on the territory of North-Western provinces of Iran. Another possible variant of the region's future political order for Chehraganly is the unification of "South Azerbaijan" with North Azerbaijan. (If this scenario became a reality Armenia would have to deal with an uncontrolled and unpredictable state with a population of 45 million). With less pleasure Chehraganly speaks about two other variants - creation of an autonomy and formation of a federative Persian-Turkic state on the territory of Iran. According to Chehraganly, it is the people who have to choose from the four variants. "The choice belongs to Azeris. People have to decide on their own. But I can say that several states will be created on the ruins of Iran and one of them will be an Azeri state" - the leader of Turkic separatists announced. There is only one rational idea in the thoughts announced by Chehraganly. The leader insists on the point that the future of Turkish populated provinces should be decided based on the nations' right for self-determination. He is of the opinion that the principle of territorial integrity is not actual. By the way, this idea is also supported by "North Azeris" who insists that their compatriots should have rights for free will. So why should Iranian Azeris have the right for self-determination and Armenians of Karabakh not? Mohammadaly Chehraganly will probably try to avoid answering this question.