bevause our Iranian brothers will never allow religion or Turkish trickery come between us, just like in the past.
Let the past for what it is. I'm convinced that Iranian-Turkish relations in the future will be better and that we are the ones who will eventually shape the course of the Middle East. Both Iranians and Turks are the most moderate, secular and democratic-minded people of the Middle East. We have more in common with each other, than differences. We share a history of language intermixing, music, poetry, food, people and common values. Just like we share these things with Armenians.
But with all due respect to Armenia, Turkey is of more importance to Iran than Armenia will ever be. Not because I like Turks more than I like Armenians, but simply because of our national self-interests. And that's what is all about in international relations. And Azerbaijan? Well, if we would recognize Azerbaijan's right to remain secular and follow it's own path, respect it's relations with Israel and the US, and convince them that the Azeri part of Iran will always be part of the Iranian nation, I don't see why we couldn't have better relations with Azerbaijan as well.
We should get rid of all those bitterness over territory, and instead focus on developing our's economy, education and relations. Do you see the French and Germans still fighting over Alsace-Lorraine? Or the Austrians and Italians over some small territories? They all have erased that bitterness in their societies, and are now working with each other for the sake of their own countries.
Eventually there must be peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and I hope Iran could contribute to that peace process, and become the stabile force in the region, rather than the destabilizer. Imagine the positive consequences it could have on the region? Imagine the Afghans and Pakistani's seeing a prosperous Iran that respects the right of women and minorities. We could eventually cover the whole region in a cloud of moderation, development and greatness. And countries like Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan could all contribute, like Iran, to those developments.
Imagine a Middle-East and South-Asia that will eventually return to the position it once had. In stead of westerners calling us all kind of names, we should let them see that civilization once began in these areas and that we haven't forget those ideas and values. Why couldn't we return to the period of the Mu'tazila, the Islamic school that had build the House of Wisdom in Baghdad and was responsible for the most brightest period of Islamic science and values in it's history? There was a period when Europeans looked at this region with enormous respect and awe, and I can't see why we couldn't pick up that role again.
This doesn't mean that we should yield to western values. That's not what moderation or development means. Our own cultures are full with rich elements, norms and values. We should get rid off all those deterministic thoughts, and take our future in our own hands. True independency is being reached by knowledge and education, and not by pessimistic or deterministic thoughts which have hijacked our societies for centuries. I truly believe that the rise of the East is in our reach!