Whole Azerbaijan
Whole Azerbaijan (Azerbaijani: Bütöv Azərbaycan) is a 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] 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 South Azerbaijan.[6]
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. Although the boundaries of Whole Azerbaijan are not strictly defined, some proponents portray them as encompassing the following areas[7]:
- Southern Azerbaijan (Cənubi Azərbaycan) -
Northern Iran, the provinces of East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan, Zanjan and Ardabil - Western Azerbaijan (Qərbi Azərbaycan) -
all the territory of the Republic of Armenia - Derbent (Dərbənd) -
Derbent district, Republic of Dagestan - Borchali (Borçalı) -
Kvemo Kartli province of Georgia - Iğdır Province -
Eastern Anatolia Region, Turkey
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
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 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
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