Coll 28/112A ‘Persia. Tabriz – Monthly despatches of internal situation in Azerbaijan & misc. reports.’ [‎313r] (628/1237)

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for tii© co&sian of tiii© OaiXaing v<as referred to Teiir&n and was
aatnorlaed by the friae Minister* —
a her© is apparently now a clear policy of posting Soviet
Azerbaijanis to both civil and military posts her© in preference to
personnel from other parts of the Soviet Union* Most of the military
■ officers in faoriz ax^e at present of that categoiy and, as pointed
^at in the last Siary, the soviet QonauLate-acneral has been increased
d/ a Moslem vice-consul, Hasson iiassanov. ihese Soviet Azerbaijanis,
fliko persons from Soviet Armenia, are the moat fervent prop^ators of
k«n* jhuesian exp ana ion ism.
h
136. Sovlet-Armenian activities * Ihe Armenian community have
attached a special aignificance to the visit about a month ago of )r.
Ashot tbrahamlan, a professor of history at the Armenian University
at iiriv.in* he came as an envoy from the Motherland of irmenians to
strengthen relations with her sons in other lands and addressed a
record gathering of Armenians f incluciing the Archbisliop and many
otiier church representatives, he claimed that in soviet Armenia
Armenian culture hid reached its zenith, hr. Abrahamian left Tabriz
for Tehran, *her© he was received by the xrime Minister to tender
ivTaunia*© tnanhs for Iranian hospitality to Armenians. It appears
that the Prime Minister gave some promise about the re-opeuing of
Armenian schools. if ter Tehran r. hrahamiaa proposed to visit
Isfahan, oaghdad, Beirut, Jerusalem, Alexandria and Oairo to meet the
Armenian coasAuniMe* in those cities, lie stated that he would give
further lectures in xabriz on his ruturn journey.
jt article on 9th ^ay in tiie Tehran Armenian newspaper ’Alik*
on tiie changes in the Soviet constitution stated that while the
soviet Union agreed in principle to the terms of the Atlantic Charter
nevertheless those Soviet republics that have national, economic,
historical and international rights, and to whom injustice was done
{ in the last war, would receive new territories. There is a general
feel log among Amenisaas that this principle will be evoked with
I regard to both Azerbaijan and Armenia.
13?. urdish If airs* The Iraqi consul has stated that several
cases are known to him of Tabriz merchants who, failing to obtain
vlsos for Iraq in a regular manner, have visited Baghdad and returned
to Tabriz without experiencing the slightest difficulty, passing the
frontier with the help of Kurds*
The Governor-UeneraL stated on 24th May that he had received
confidential information from Tehran that it is proposed to send
Iranian troops to Mahabad, but ^artip Jawadi subsequently said that
the prospect was not ii^iediate. It is quite likely that there has
been some postponement as G&rhang Varah&rum, who was supposed to be
arranging the move from ^ianduab, has now returned to Tabriz* On tba
other hand it is learnt from a good source that all conscripta from
Azerbaijan are at present being sent to Tehran to form a Uahabad 'tipi®
hama Eashid, a Baneh chieftain with a large following, has
gone to Gardasht and it is thought h© may be out for trouble, he
pretends to be nourishing some grievance about the conduct of the
Uaqqis electian, complaining that the Kurds were denied the
opportunity of voting.
There is a good deal of sporadic disorder in widely separated
districts, such as is bound to occur so long as the Kurds hare arms
and the authorities no power or prestige. There is a report of an
increase of Kurdish robueries from ^ahabad, while near Hezaieh Kurds
have cut the water supply of four non-Auraish villages. 2 ,ero deg,
having succejafully levied tribute on other goods passing through his
district, has now helu up a couple of cars for a ransom of Ala. 70,000
There is also again some unrest among the dhikkak Kurds further to
toe north.
There are no reports of any special soviet activities in
these districts, although Tudeh Iran Is Increasing its activity in
/villages