`Turkization’ of the region started from tsarist times, Canadian
historian says
12.11.2011 16:24
Anna Balyan
`Radiolur’
The 2nd international conference on Talishi Studies is under way in
Yerevan, 11-12 November, 2011. This conference is a sequential
gathering in the series of academic events held by the international
journal Iran and the Caucasus on the occasion of its 15th anniversary.
The co-organizers of the event are Modus Vivendi center, Caucasian
Center for Iranian Studies, International Society for Turkic, Iranian
and Caucasian Studies and ARMACAD (Armenian Association for Academic
Partnership and Support.
The 1st international conference on Talishi Studies was held in
Tsakhkadzor (Armenia), in May 2005.
The event has brought together 40 scholars from Armenia, Russia, Iran,
Georgia, Europe, USA and Canada.
The largest ethnic minority of Azerbaijan has become a headache for
the Azerbaijani government. The policy of annihilation and
assimilation that has been continuing for decades jeopardizes the
survival of this ethnos.
After the Russian-Persian war of the 19th century the Talishs were
divided into two parts, which now reside in the North of Iran and the
South of Azerbaijan. According to the falsified data of 1926 the
Talishs comprised 3.4% of the Azerbaijani population, today they speak
about 1.3%.
According to expert of Iranian Studies, Director of the Modus Vivendi
center Ara Papyan, `Talishs are the second largest nation after the
Caucasian Tatars in the country, which is now called Azerbaijan.’
`Unfortunately they face discrimination like all other nations,’ he
added.
There are no Talish schools and cultural centers in Azerbaijan. Even
if a Talish reaches a high position, he does it at the expense of loss
of national identity.
Following the first conference on Talishi Studies in 2005, the Iranian
Studies Chair of the Yerevan State University and the Caucasian Center
for Iranian Studies undertook to create an original Talishi alphabet.
The Talishi alphabet based on the Avestan script was presented today
by Vardan Vosaknian, Associate Professor of the Department of Iranian
Studies at YSU.
Canadian historian and writer Kave Farrokh says `’turkization’of the
region started from tsarist times, when the Russian authorities were
drying to deiranize the region by supporting the development of
Turkish culture. The second stage of deiranization of the current
territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan started with the establishment
of the Musavat rule in Baku. The third stage overlapped with the
establishment of Soviet order, which continue even after the
declaration of independence by Azerbaijan.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
