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Interfax, Russia
February 5, 2013 Tuesday 5:55 PM MSK
Candidate for Iran president vows to go after "breakaway" Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Tajikistan
DUSHANBE. Feb 5
A Hezbollah leader who is running for president of Iran vowed on
Tuesday that "the lands that have broken away from Iran - Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Tajikistan" - would become part of Iran if he won
June's presidential election, and that not "a drop of blood" would be
shed if this happened.
"Bringing back the lands that have broken away from Iran - Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Tajikistan - is one of the main platforms of my
election program," Iranian media quoted Ayatollah Mohammad Bagher
Kharazi, leader of Hezbollah's Iranian branch, as saying.
Kharazi did not say whether by "breakaway lands" he meant all or part
of the territory of the three countries.
"I will bring those lands back to Iran without shedding a drop of
blood," he said.
He also promised that the West would lift all its anti-Iranian
sanctions if he became president.
Iranian law prevents incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from
running for another term.
A senior Tajik government official has dismissed Kharazi's words as "a
lot of election campaign populism."
"The ideas are beautiful but they come from the world of fairytales.
Despite all of our similarities, too much draws us apart - religion,
culture, which has taken completely different routes in its
development in the two countries, economics," the official told
Interfax on condition of anonymity. "I can't see any chance of Iran
and Tajikistan reunifying within the next century."
The Tajik language is a variety of Persian, and Tajik and Iranian
leaders are fond of talking about their countries' shared language and
cultural roots but gloss over the fact that 98% of Tajiks are Sunni
Muslims and 89% of Iranians follow the Shia branch of Islam.
Iran invests in Tajikistan's energy sector and road construction.
However, the Tajik government is in every way trying to shield its
country from Iranian cultural and religious influences.
Tajiks are prohibited from sending their children to the Iranian
Embassy school and need permission from their Education Ministry to
apply for higher education in Iran as the Tajik government seeks to
prevent its citizens from receiving religious education abroad.
as jv
February 5, 2013 Tuesday 5:55 PM MSK
Candidate for Iran president vows to go after "breakaway" Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Tajikistan
DUSHANBE. Feb 5
A Hezbollah leader who is running for president of Iran vowed on
Tuesday that "the lands that have broken away from Iran - Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Tajikistan" - would become part of Iran if he won
June's presidential election, and that not "a drop of blood" would be
shed if this happened.
"Bringing back the lands that have broken away from Iran - Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Tajikistan - is one of the main platforms of my
election program," Iranian media quoted Ayatollah Mohammad Bagher
Kharazi, leader of Hezbollah's Iranian branch, as saying.
Kharazi did not say whether by "breakaway lands" he meant all or part
of the territory of the three countries.
"I will bring those lands back to Iran without shedding a drop of
blood," he said.
He also promised that the West would lift all its anti-Iranian
sanctions if he became president.
Iranian law prevents incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from
running for another term.
A senior Tajik government official has dismissed Kharazi's words as "a
lot of election campaign populism."
"The ideas are beautiful but they come from the world of fairytales.
Despite all of our similarities, too much draws us apart - religion,
culture, which has taken completely different routes in its
development in the two countries, economics," the official told
Interfax on condition of anonymity. "I can't see any chance of Iran
and Tajikistan reunifying within the next century."
The Tajik language is a variety of Persian, and Tajik and Iranian
leaders are fond of talking about their countries' shared language and
cultural roots but gloss over the fact that 98% of Tajiks are Sunni
Muslims and 89% of Iranians follow the Shia branch of Islam.
Iran invests in Tajikistan's energy sector and road construction.
However, the Tajik government is in every way trying to shield its
country from Iranian cultural and religious influences.
Tajiks are prohibited from sending their children to the Iranian
Embassy school and need permission from their Education Ministry to
apply for higher education in Iran as the Tajik government seeks to
prevent its citizens from receiving religious education abroad.
as jv