Iran

[Shahab3]

KURDISH EXPANSION : ‘Northern Kurdistan’ gets icy response in Iran’s west Azerbaijan province
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Osman Ahmadi, a Kurdish member of parliament, proposed the formation of “Northern Kurdistan” province during a parliamentary session on January 5. He said the capital of the proposed province should be Mahabad, a predominantly Kurdish town in Iran’s West Azerbaijan Province. The province, whose southern border meets the existing Kurdistan Province, is predominately Azeri.
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Lawmakers in West Azerbaijan [anm.: iranische Provinz] have reacted angrily to the prospect of giving up territory to a new province, and Ahmadi’s remarks have renewed long-running tensions between the Kurdish and ethnic Azeri communities.

Azeris, who are Turkic speaking, are mainly Shi’ite Muslims. Kurds, meanwhile, have their own distinct language and are predominantly Sunni Muslims.
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Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli has said in recent months that the government could create 10 new provinces, but that no final decision had been made. Iran currently has 31 provinces.

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