YEREVAN. – Members of the parliament of Iran have proposed the country’s authorities to launch the holding of a referendum in Iran, and with an objective to have Azerbaijan join Iran, Iranian Studies specialist Armen Israyelyan noted during a press conference on Saturday.        

In his conviction, the Iranian MPs base this proposal on the cultural and religious ties that exist between the Iranians and the Turkish-speaking Azerbaijanis. 

“In addition, Iran has a very large influence on the poor regions of southern Azerbaijan. Given these circumstances, the Iranian side announced that the Azerbaijani people wish to unite with Iran,” the Iranian Studies expert said, and stressed that this was carried for propaganda purposes.        

Israyelyan added that the authorities of Azerbaijan conduct an extremely harsh policy against the local Islamic forces and spiritual figures that attempt to contribute to the spread of Islam, whereas Iran tries to increase its influence upon them.