Araz News: Turkish Language Institute was one of three promises that president Rouhani gave to Azerbaijani people during his presidential election campaign. Rescuing Lake Urmia, Education in Azerbaijani Turkish and establishing Turkish language institute were the three promises.

After nearly one and a half years of his presidency now the government officials say Turkish language institute is not going to be established.

Previously vice president for ethnicities and minorities’ affairs and the former minister of intelligence, Mr. Ali Younesi in an interview said that:

“Idea of establishing a language institute for Azerbaijan was wrong from beginning. The issue should be discussed in another form. As I know it is being tried to be solved as a cultural foundation. I suppose a senior cultural and political official who oppose the idea of Azeri language institute have gone to Tabriz and make some negotiation.”

Recently East Azerbaijan province governor Mr. Esmail Jabbarzadeh has said that upon request of some Azerbaijani intellectuals they have wanted the president to establish a more comprehensive organization instead of language institute, what he called “Azerbaijan culture and art foundation.” He did not specify who those intellectuals were!

Azerbaijani activists say a “culture and art foundation” is not a “language institute” and could not undertake its mission. They say this is only a manoeuvre to deceive Azerbaijani public opinion. According to activists in fact powerful Persian nationalist inside the regime is against and strongly oppose cultural and especially linguistic rights of none-Persian ethnics. One prominent figure of these Persian nationalist is Mr. Haddad Adel, who is head of Persian Language Institute and a close relative of Supreme leader Mr. Khamenei. Mr. Haddad Adel is a close relative supreme religious leader of Iran and has a deep influence on the.