Khatami rules out Iranian province’s merger with Azerbaijan

Mediamax news agency
9 Sep 04

Yerevan, 9 September: The unification of Azerbaijan [Republic] and
the Iranian province of Eastern Atropatena [Iran’s East Azarbayjan
Province] (so-called Southern Azerbaijan) is out of the question,
Iranian President Mohammad Khatami said in Yerevan today.

The Iranian leader said this today at the meeting with the teaching
staff and students of Yerevan State University, Mediamax news agency
reported.

Pointing out that Iran and Azerbaijan are sovereign states,
Mohammad Khatami stressed the important role of ethnic Azeris in
Iran’s politics, economy, science and culture. He also recalled that
one of the Iranian leaders, an ethnic Azerbaijani, took part in the
eight-year Iran-Iraq war.