Hummatov: Talyshs were mistaken considering Azerbaijan as homeland

The Talyshs are not respected in Azerbaijan, and a policy of their assimilation is being implemented, Ali Akram Hummatov, who was President of the Talysh-Mughan Republic (1993), said during the meeting at Yerevan State University (YSU).

At the presentation ceremony of a master’s program “Talysh Studies” developed by the YSU Sub-department of Iranian Studies, the leader of the Talysh national movement made a speech, in which he discussed the problems of the Talyshs in Azerbaijan. “In Azerbaijan, the Talyshs are deprived of basic rights. We are not respected; we are being extirpated, with a policy of assimilation being implemented against us. They at the same time declare that we are brothers. This is illogical.

We want to write and read in the mother tongue. In response to our demands, they (the Azerbaijani authorities) openly say,” You, the Talyshs, have no future, you must be assimilated”, Hummatov said.

Speaking about the possibility of declaration of an independent state by the Talyshs, the national figure said: “We were mistaken. We didn’t realize certain things. We considered Azerbaijan our homeland and were even prepared to give up our lives for it, but the homeland should also defend us with might and main, and if it refuses to do it, then we have our homeland and we will build our homeland – Talyshstan”.

“Our youths already have self-consciousness. No one can stop us anymore. We will speak in Talysh and struggle for our independence,” Hummatov stated.

“Studies of the Talysh language, culture and history to be conducted by the YSU Sub-Department of Iranian Studies are extremely important in terms of raising awareness of the Talysh people,” Hummatov said, adding that thanks to programs broadcast by The Voice of Talyshstan radio station from Artsakh, many Talyshs, including Hummatov himself, began to learn Talysh.

The Head of the YSU Sub-Department of Iranian Studies Prof. Garnik Asatrian made a speech, discussing the problems of Talysh studies. In his words, much work has been done in recent years in order to promote Talysh studies: two conferences of experts in Talysh studies were held in 2005 and 2011, a number of books about the history and culture of the Talysh people have been released, and The Voice of Talyshstan radio station was launched in 2013.