Azerbaijani political activist Nemat Panahli has spoken out against using the term “Azeri” for Azerbaijanis while also arguing that citizenship and ethnic identity should not be treated as the same thing.
In a video statement reported by Vesti Baku, Panahli addressed people in Turkey who refer to Azerbaijanis as “Azeris.” He said Azerbaijanis are Oghuz Turks who share common origins and roots with Turks in Turkey, and argued that the “Azeri” label artificially divides closely related peoples.
Panahli said Iranian Azerbaijanis commonly identify themselves as Turks and refer to residents of Turkey as “Turkiyeli,” or people of Turkey.
At the same time, he stressed that ethnic identity is distinct from citizenship. Citizens of Azerbaijan and Turkey may be Turks, Talysh, Lezgins, Kurds, Tats or members of other communities, he said.
Panahli said that just as he is proud of being a Turk, a Talysh person should be free to take pride in being Talysh. Forcing someone from another ethnic group to adopt a Turkish identity, he argued, could provoke the opposite reaction.
He described Talysh people as fellow citizens and brothers, and said Kurds and Lezgins should likewise be able to take pride in their identities. Panahli called for every community’s right to self-identification to be respected.
The video statement is available on YouTube.