Whole Azerbaijan
Whole Azerbaijan (Azerbaijani: Bütöv Azərbaycan) is an Azerbaijani concept that tells the political and historical union of territories currently and historical inhabited by Azerbaijanis or historically controlled by them.[1]
History
The idea of Whole Azerbaijan was formulated by Piruz Dilenchi in 1991 and defined by Abulfaz Elchibey (the president of the Republic of Azerbaijan in 1992-1993) in 1992. In 1991 Dilenchi founded the organization SANLM (CAMAH) and in 1997 Elchibey founded the organisation Whole Azerbaijan Union (Bütöv Azərbaycan Birliyi).[2] [3] His book on the idea, titled Bütöv Azərbaycan yolunda was published in Ankara in 1998. Elchibey argued that the borders of Azerbaijan should extend from Derbent to the Persian Gulf.[4][dubious – discuss] He claimed that Azerbaijanis, with historical presence in the territory ("[the boundaries of] Greater Azerbaijan was historically starting at Derbent in the north and, with its centre in Hamedan, would reach the Persian Gulf"),[5] had right to rule over it with a proposed system of governance called United Azerbaijani Lands (Birləşmiş Azərbaycan Yurdları).[4] In his views published postmortem in 2002, he opposed the idea of a separate and independent Iranian Azerbaijan.[6][dubious – discuss]
Current use
The term Whole Azerbaijan is still preserved in a number of political initiatives including the SANLM (CAMAH) and Whole Azerbaijan Popular Front Party.[citation needed] Although the boundaries of Whole Azerbaijan are not strictly defined, some proponents portray them as encompassing the following areas[7][dubious – discuss]:
- Western Azerbaijan (Qərbi Azərbaycan) -
all the territory of the Republic of Armenia - Southern Azerbaijan (Cənubi Azərbaycan) -
Northern Iran, the provinces of East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan, Zanjan and Ardabil - Borchali (Borçalı) -
Kvemo Kartli province of Georgia - Derbent (Dərbənd) -
Derbent district, Republic of Dagestan
See also
References
- ^ "Diaspora agrees to reintegrate Iranian Azerbaijan in Republic of Azerbaijan". abc.az. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
- ^ Arif Keskin, Arif Keskin, Güney Azerbaycan Milli Demokratik Hareketi Yol Ayrımında, TÜRKSAM Azərbaycan Stratejik Araşdırma Mərkəzi, February 6, 2003
- ^ http://sanlm.org/meramname.php Program of South Azerbaijan National Liberation Movement
- ^ a b Satranç Tahtasında Azerbaycan ve Farsistan Arif Rehmoğlu, Avrasya Dosyası, Avrasya Stratejik Araştırmalar Merkezi, Spring 200], Ankara
- ^ "Böyük Azərbaycan tarixən şimalda Dərbənddən başlayıb, Həmədan mərkəz olmaqla Bəsrə körfəzinədək uzanırdı" Bütöv Azərbaycan yolunda, Əbülfəz Elchibey, Ecdad Yayınları, Ankara, 1998
- ^ Bütöv Azərbaycan Haqqında, Yeni Müsavat newspaper, Baku, 2002
- ^ Bütöv Azərbaycan Haritası