Turkish textbook sparks controversy over Azerbaijani city – PHOTO

A textbook prepared by Türkiye’s Ministry of National Education for high school students contains controversial references to Iran and China.

TodayPress TV  reports, citing the Turkish newspaper Aydınlık, that the story was published by Globalinfo.az.

According to the report, the book titled Cultural Atlas of the Turkic World describes Tabriz as “the heart of South Azerbaijan” and China’s Xinjiang Uyghur region as “East Turkestan”.

The following passage in particular has attracted attention:

“As our journey through the Turkic world draws to a close, we turn our route towards Iran, to Tabriz, the heart of South Azerbaijan. In this unique region, where you can travel without feeling any sense of foreignness when speaking Anatolian Turkish, you can meet many of our kinsmen, including Azerbaijani Turks, Qashqais and Khalajs.”

Turkish media outlets report that the wording used in the publication has been viewed as an approach that could fuel debate over the territorial integrity of Iran and China.

The ministry has not responded to questions submitted on the matter.

It should be noted that Türkiye has consistently expressed support for Iran’s territorial integrity. Against this background, the approach adopted in the ministry’s textbook has not been universally welcomed from the perspective of official state policy.