Discrepancies proceeding from regionalism in the Azeri powerful structures are not a secret, Armenian political scientist Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter when commenting on the recent arrests and prosecution of Azeri officials. In his words, the process was launched by Heydar Aliyev, the first secretary of the Communist Part Central Committee of Azerbaijan, who flooded the ruling structures with natives of Nakhichevan. "In his time Ayaz Mutalibov managed to reduce the number of Nakhichevanis in the leadership. However Aliyev coming to power again restored status quo. For his part Aliyev junior strengthened the positions of Nakhichevanis in the republic, especially in the middle administration sector. Meanwhile the positions of "yerazes" protected by disgraced Rasul Ghuliyev were still strong in Azerbaijan," the political scientist said.

He also remarked that during the recent months the unified clans of Pashayevs (the kin of first lady Mehriban Aliyeva) and Nakhichevanis push the "yerazes" out of state posts. "As for the Kurds, they really take serious positions in Azerbaijan's economy. Almost all of them are natives of Nakhichevan and are assimilated into the Turkic community," Melik-Shahnazaryan said.