Araz News: Iranian vice president for ethnicities and minorities’ affairs and the former minister of intelligence, Ali Younesi in an interview with Asr-e Azadi newspaper explained his viewpoints about ethnicities and minorities in Iran.

In the reportage he stated:

“We oppose some people who have taken aim at national unity of Iranians. Reducing the Fars into an ethnicity is a huge wrong and persecution. Promoting the Fars (Persian people) should not be considered as decreasing other ethnics’ position. I mean Farsi (Persian language) is a language alongside other ethnical languages under the umbrella of Fars which is equal to Iran.”

For the interviewer’s question “In a city with Sunni majority the city council had decided to dedicate a part of land as Sunni cemetery. The governor asks from some senior organs and after receiving negative answer he cancels the decision. Or we know Sunni Muslims do not have a mosque in Tehran. Do you think this is a true attitude?” he reply:

“I share point of view of the organ which canceled the decision. Why should Sunnis have separate cemetery or mosque? We all are Muslims and brothers. Dedicating separate cemetery or mosque for Sunnis is not except division between Shiite and Sunni.”

He also added:

“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.”

For the question: “So what about the given promises? East Azerbaijan governor have promised. Language institute and cultural foundation are different things. How a benefit copying a statute without asking Azerbaijan’s cultural figures can have?” he say:

“I do not know, maybe they have some programs.”

Note that during the presidential election campaign president Rouhani gave three major promises to people of Azerbaijan; preventing Lake Urmia from drying, giving Azerbaijani Turkic language education in schools and establishing Azerbaijani Turkic language institute in Tabriz.

He has not done any of the three promises up to now.