Armenia Solidarity
Report on House of Commons Meeting – 20 February 2007
eilian@nant.wanadoo.co.uk
Armenia Solidarity, The Temple of Peace, Cardiff
Tel: 07876561398 (Int: ++447876561398)
An invitation was extended on 20 February to Peers, MPs and members of the
public to meet the HE Vahe Gabrielyan, the Ambassador of the Republic of
Armenia, in Westminster following two Early Day Motions in the House of
Commons concerning the Turkish blockade of Armenia (EDM 344) and the Turkish
denial of the Armenian Genocide (EDM 357).The meeting was organised by
Armenia Solidarity in conjunction with the British Armenian All Party
Parliamentary Group and Nor Serount Publications.
The ambassador gave the views of the Armenian Government to the two EDMs
both of which were welcomed by the Republic. Armenia supported the
application of Turkey as a prospective candidate to joining the European
Union in the expectation that its international obligations and its
standards of foreign policy would be raised to Western standards. To do so,
it would have to open its border with Armenia, the only closed border in
Europe and an illegal act according to international law, and recognise the
Armenian Genocide. President Kocharian had just reiterated his 2005
response to the Turkish proposal for a commission of historians to examine
the events of 1915. This issue was a political matter that had to be dealt
with an inter-governmental commission. Turkey should first establish
diplomatic relations with Armenia without any pre-conditions from either
side as a necessary step to resolving significant long-standing regional
issues.
These positions were given support by members of both Houses of Parliament:
Baroness Cox, Lord Avebury, Bob Spink, Quentin Davies, Nia Griffith, Andrew
Dismore and Paddy Tipping. Other MPs in attendance were Phil Mulholland,
John Leech, Mark Hunter and Helen Goodman. Baroness Cox expressed the
desire that the local recognitions on Wales and Scotland would translate
into a national one for the whole of the UK. Lord Avebury described the
efforts of British parliamentarians to engage in two way dialogue with the
Turkish Grand National Assembly both sides after the Turkish parliament had
asked in 2005 that the contents of the Blue Book be repudiated. There has
been no response to collective or individual letters to each of their
parliamentarians which contrasts with the publicised aim of the Turkish
government to engage in such discussions.
Ways and means were discussed to persuade the British government to a more
constructive approach to resolving these issues. The UK’s stance of
uncritical support for the Turkish position needs to change to enhance
Turkey’s prospects of joining the EU. In particular it is in s strong
position to persuade Turkey that its policy towards diplomatic relations
with Armenia, its blockade of Armenia with damage to a developing nation,
and its refusal to recognise the Armenian Genocide now accepted by all
independent historians, is damaging its reputation and its prospects of
being accepted into Europe. There has been some movement recently: Geoff
Hoon, the Minister of Europe in a recent letter to a MP through the request
of a constituent accepts that "over a million ethnic Armenian citizens were
killed" but then reverted back to the traditional line of defence to explain
this tragedy. However it is not at all clear which historians the government
consulted to arrive at this conclusion. Nor is it known when, by what means
and by whom such a decision was made. It would be particularly helpful if
the government replaced its current secretiveness with transparency on this
matter so that its conclusions are challenged.
The meeting received advice from Andrew Dismore who tabled the original
Early Day Motion that eventually led to the implementation of the UK
Holocaust Memorial Day as well as from Nia Griffith. MP’s awareness of
this event needs to be raised as well as the general knowledge of the
population at large as a pre-requisite for any progress. The Armenian
community and supporters of change to British policy need to write to MPs
and get them to sign the EDMs. The Turkish application to the EU is a
source of leverage on Turkey and the British government. MPs need to be
contacted regularly and persistently and this campaign should be extend to
UK Members of the European Parliament. The arguments presented should link
to the present to capture imagination. Persistence, dedication and pressure
were the ways to achieve any results. In particular, constituents should
encourage their MP to write to the Minister of Europe so that these issues
became more of a priority in the Minister’s portfolio.
The chair closed the meeting by mentioning that momentum was picking up. A
further meeting in parliament is planned for 24 April, the symbolic date of
commemoration for the victims of the genocide. Before then, a delegation
will lobby the Liberal Democrat Spring Conference as had already been done
with the Labour Party.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress