AZERI TV SLATES BRITISH MP’S VISIT TO KARABAKH
Azad Azarbaycan TV, Baku
19 Oct 04
(Presenter) Britain has on more than one occasion stated that it is
interested in the resolution of the Karabakh problem, it recognizes
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and condemns separatism. However,
regrettably, all these are verbal statements. A new visit by Baroness
Caroline Cox from Britain’s House of Lords to Stepanakert might cause
a diplomatic row between London and Baku.
(Correspondent) A person who is a member of the House of Lords,
Britain’s most influential and prestigious body, damages the influence
and dignity of the House. She is separatist Baroness Caroline
Cox. This woman has been in contact with the Karabakh separatists for
a long time. She completed her latest 55th visit to Karabakh
lately. Although the Azerbaijani government has repeatedly protested
against the visits by the high-ranking British parliamentarian, London
diplomats stress that Cox visits Karabakh at her own expense. However,
it is obvious this time that the British embassy could not keep to
itself its false peace-loving mission and decided to help the
separatist baroness and did this in an open fashion.
Certainly, we are speaking about the British embassy in Armenia. Today
Armenian web sites reported that Caroline Cox’s visit to Nagornyy
Karabakh was arranged precisely by the British embassy in
Yerevan. British diplomats may interpret this differently – allegedly
they organized her visit to Armenia, and Cox, in turn, went to
Karabakh herself, and they were allegedly unaware of Cox’s programme
and so on.
It is intriguing that Britain, which is a member of the UN Security
Council, has always stated that it recognizes Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity and is against separatism.
Nevertheless, the failure to see a British citizen who embraces
separatists in Azerbaijan is disrespect for Azerbaijan and the
manifestation of double standards, to put it in diplomatic terms. The
separatist baroness, who describes herself as a champion of the truth,
has never visited Azerbaijan despite numerous invitations. She refused
to come to Azerbaijan to eyewitness the situation in Azerbaijan and
the state of the refugees. In return, she voices the slogan Freedom to
Nagornyy Karabakh, which does not go hand in hand with official
London’s policy. This is British-style justice and truth.
Etibar Mammadov for “Son Xabar”.