South Azerbaijan National Council of Statehood launches initiative group

Chingiz Goyturk, a South Azerbaijani political activist living in Finland, has said that the South Azerbaijan National Council of Statehood Initiative Group has been established.

The founding meeting of the council will be held on April 30, 2023, Caliber.Az reports, citing the organisation's statement.

"Along with the geopolitical developments taking place in the region where our homeland Azerbaijan is located, the importance and decisive role of the national movement initiated by the Azerbaijani Turks living in South Azerbaijan for the restoration of their national statehood has once again been shown in the national, political and social processes that are intensifying in the country called Iran.

It is in such a situation that the need for a strong, unified national-political organization, which adopts the Azerbaijan-centered national statehood thinking of the South Azerbaijan National Movement, exhibits an independent will for the restoration of our national statehood, and aims at the formation of national power in this direction, has emerged.

Based on this necessity, from the second half of 2022, a number of national institutions, representatives of organizations and our personalities came together and decided to create an initiative group in this direction.

As a result of internal and external discussions, consultations and agreements, the initiative group decided to establish the South Azerbaijan National Council of Statehood (hereafter NCS) based on the following principles and to announce it on December 12, 2022 National Statehood Day. However, taking into account our national interests, the Initiative group postponed the announcement of the NCS on that date in order to avoid unnecessary competition in the national movement.

However, today, at a stage when the coNCSiousness of national statehood and the determination to fight in this direction come to the fore in our movement, it has become an urgent necessity for the National Statehood Council of South Azerbaijan to start its activities.

Based on this necessity, the Initiative group decided to hold the founding meeting of the South Azerbaijan National Council of Statehood on April 30, 2023," Goyturk stressed.

South Azerbaijan National Council of Statehood

1. The South Azerbaijan National Council of Statehood is based on the national-political idea and rich statehood experience of the South Azerbaijan National Movement, the basic principles of the All-Turk national ideology, and operates in the direction of the establishment of our national statehood with the motto of Freedom, Justice, National government.
2. The NCS stands for the principle of Azerbaijaniism, considers Azerbaijan its homeland and considers its territorial integrity inviolable. The NCS wants to realise the goals and ideals it is fighting for in the historical national territory of Azerbaijan, which was divided into other provinces as a result of administrative and geographical changes in different periods, along with Ardabil, East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan, Zanjan, Hamadan and Qazvin provinces of South Azerbaijan.
3. The NCS believes in the necessity of independent decision-making of the South Azerbaijan National Movement, works towards the realization of national solidarity and the formation of a unified national power.
4. The NCS officially recognizes the equal rights of women and men, opposes the restriction of women's rights and freedoms under any pretext, and considers the struggle in this direction as an integral part of its national struggle.
5. The NCS is ready for discussion and cooperation with all the forces that officially recognise the South Azerbaijan National Movement, respect the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, and support the goal of national statehood. Talks and discussions with any political organization will be carried out on the basis of the principles and joint decision of the NCS, except for the terrorist groups.
6. The NCS gives preference to civil, cultural struggle, considers it acceptable to use all legitimate ways of self-defence.
7. The NCS respects the ethnic, religious, sectarian, etc. rights of minorities and fights for the creation of an equal civil society.
8. The NCS rejects Iran and Iranianism, under any name or guise, and fights for the creation of a modern, democratic, secular South Azerbaijan state.