ArmenPress
Oct 21 2004

BRITISH PARLIAMENTARIANS MEET WITH KARABAGH LEADER

STEPANAKERT, OCTOBER 21, ARMENPRESS: Nagorno Karabagh leader
Arkady Ghukasian thanked October 20 a British parliamentary
delegation for visiting Karabagh, saying it was another good
opportunity for Karabagh people to make their voice heard in Europe.
The delegation is led by Gordon Marsden, a member of the British
House of Commons and Baroness Caroline Cox, who is deputy speaker of
the House of Lords.
Ghukasian’s press office said he briefed the delegation members on
Karabagh’s recent achievements in such areas as human rights
protection and building a democratic state based on rule of law. He
also spoke about good conditions for operation of non-governmental
organizations.
Ghukasian then spoke about the conflict regulation process saying
Karabagh leadership deems the maintenance of the ceasefire as a key
point for its population’s security.
Gordon Masden was quoted by Ghukasian’s press office as saying
that the visit allowed them to get first-hand and detailed
information about Karabagh and its people. He said the aim of the
visit was to decide the volume of humanitarian assistance.
Meanwhile Azerbaijan’s foreign affairs ministry sent a letter of
protest to British government protesting the visit and describing it
as “violation of Azerbaijan’s rights.”
Also a report from Baku said unidentified people wrote the name of
Deputy Speaker of the British House of Lords, Baroness Caroline Cox,
on the memorial to British soldiers killed in Baku in 1918 using
black paint. Police arrived at the scene and removed paint off the
memorial.