BRITISH MP STEVEN POUND: ARTSAKH IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACES IN THE WORLD
AZG Armenian Daily
28/08/2007
British MP, member of the ruling Labor party Steven Pound has been
in Armenia since August 19. He has met members of the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation (ARF).
He visited Artsakh, where he met officials of the Republic of Nagorno
Karabakh (Artsakh).
The British MP promised next time to visit Armenia with his
colleagues. "I have to bring at least 64 MPs to Nagorno Karabakh,
as Baroness Cox has made 64 visits to Armenia", mentioned the British
MP at the press conference in ARF office on August 24.
"Many members of the House of the Commons have very little information
about Nagorno Karabakh", said Steven Pound, who did many things for
the recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
What about the attitude of the British government to the issue
of the North Ireland, it doesn’t have any direct influence on the
British government’s attitude to Nagorno Karabakh issue, as those
are different issues, according to the British MP.
Speaking of the discussions about the resolution on the recognition
of the Armenian Genocide in the British Parliament, Steven Pound
mentioned that, for him, the denial of the genocide is the same crime,
what had happened in the Ottoman Empire, or the Holocaust.
Steven Pound is a member of the Armenian Genocide Recognition
Advocating Organization, which has done a lot of things in that
sphere: the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border is also in the same
context, according to the British MP, and it needs more pressure on
the Government of Turkey.
What about the adoption of the resolution on the recognition of the
Armenian Genocide by Great Britain, Steven Pound repeated the answer
of the British Foreign Minister that the Armenian Genocide had happened
before the word "genocide" was used.
Steven Pound mentioned that kind of answer was only the legislative
part of the issue and it neglected the moral pat of it.
"I wonder how can British government apologize for taking captives
the Irish in the 17th century, and not to take decisive actions on
Turkey", mentioned the British legislator.
The British MP, who visited Artsakh, mentioned that nothing could
replace what a person saw with own eyes.
Mr. Pound said that he was preliminarily informed that Armenians had
been living for a century in Artsakh, but his visits to Gandzasar
Monastery and other historical sites in Artsakh were undeniable
arguments that Armenians had been living there at least for a
millennium.
"I am now armed with facts and what is evident for you, we have to
prove it abroad", the British MP assured.
"I don’t want to be extra-emotional, but Artsakh is one of the most
beautiful places in the world", added Steven Pound. He also mentioned,
"It’s a fact that Artsakh is really a part of Armenia, and I met no
one there who would like to go back to the pre-war years".
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
