Coll 28/112A ‘Persia. Tabriz – Monthly despatches of internal situation in Azerbaijan & misc. reports.’ [‎201r] (404/1237)

/5.
" * > APdastxez Hovnan s si an, the Tuden denuty for Armenian
Assyrian minoritias,returned to fehran about January 4 th.
4 * ..A 1 abaniel Komissarov,the Soviet Consul at Hezaieh,
is baiiifc, transferred,and is nly awaiting the arrival of his successor
before setting off for Tehran.
^ejr^e hovosadoff,fomerly Soviet Vice-Consul in Tabriz,who left
xoi- i&osco\v in August, 1944 ,returned to Tabriz in the first week in
January, he is expected to leave again for Mogoov very shortly.
Aajor-ueneral Cjlinsicy,in coBu&and of Russian troops in Azerbaijan,
nas written to the Governor General of Eastern Azerbaijan,^ehdi Dadvar,
complaining of oiieits of Russian telegraph wire. The Russian wire, it ao—
pears,is hung above tne civil lines, nd the General,according to Mehdi
hadvar,accuses uhe thieves of delioerately selecting ^he Russian ^ ; ire and
leaving tne Persian. The Gov mor General felt that the accusation
was a little far-fetched,but quoted it as an example of the unreasonable
tone which,he admits,is Decoding more evident in relations b tween the
Ruseian military and the Persian civil authorities. The Russian civil
authorities, m the other hand,are evidently at soaie pains to maintain,
outwardly, aR least,a correct* attitude towards the local government. The
Soviet Consul-General paid a visit to Maku shortly before Christmas.
Religious dem uistrationa in connection with the Muharram ceremonies were
in progress,and as there was some excitement,the farmandar expressed to M.
-uatveev his anxiety lest some disorder occur, m. ^atveev replied that
religious celebrations were a purely internal affair,and he'would not
drsam of intervening. The Soviet Consul-General is apparently a little
sensitive aoout the accusat ons,mrde in some quarters in Tenran,that the
Soviet authorities have intervened in Azerbaijan affairs deliberately
t0 ProvoKe disorder for their own ends, he followed his story about the
kuharram ceremonies in M a ku with a reference to the 10th. kuharram
dem astr a tions, in Tehran in which a man was killed; the kettle,he i iolied
was proved rather cleaner thyn the pot.
ihe boviet authorities have recently insisted on the expulsion from
Azerbaijan of a nuiuber of Persian subjects whom they consider undesirable,
particularly from Rezaieh and Khoi (Gee i)iary for 194,4, Ro. 20 , para
S 14 ,,out so far they have not asked for the expulsion of any me’from fabr-
iz. The one person whose departure they might have demanded,Hussein
1 ishakji,the editor of tne newspaper }, Tabriz !f ,was su ua neu by the
Governor General and advised to le ve the city of his own accord. He did
so. The Governor General nas now received a circular from Tehran
instructing him what if the Soviet authorities request the expulsion of
any more people ne is to refuse,and sk them to refer to the Ministry of
Foreign ,off airs. ^
. , About 6 m 0 schoolboys who have finished their studies at the Persian
uign School have registered at the Soviet Consulate-General as applicants
for selection under a scheme whereby free places at certain Russian
Adversities are to be offered to Azerbaijani boys next September. Those
v.uo are perfect An mussiau will enter Moscow University,those whose oest
language is Armenian will go to urivan,and tne others,speaking Turki,
to naku. They will study medicine and engineering. Tne course in medic .ne
.»ill take live years, that in engineering,four. everything, inclmbing their
personal outfit,will be provided free of charge oy the soviet
Government. But they hive oeen advised to t ke with them aiV woollen
garments they may possess. If they wish to return to Azerbaijan lor
tne annual holiday of one month,they must do so at their own expense,
out if they viah to spend tne month in visiting some other part of
Russia,their expenses will be paid. The boys selected will receive
preliminary instruction at the new Russian school in Tabriz.
According to an informant recently arrived from Bukan,a new Russian
0et bas been established at the bridge of Tatawa, just outside
^lanauab,and another at Bukan. There appears now to oe no Goviet
oiiicial,either civil or military,in -• .ahabad.