CAROLINE COX: I CAN PERSONALLY TESTIFY TO RIDICULOUS NATURE OF CLAIMS THAT ‘KARABAKH IS A BLACK HOLE’
PanARMENIAN.Net
13.06.2008 17:24 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Baroness Caroline Cox, member of UK House of Lords,
has addressed a letter to the editor of The Guardian over Alexandros
Petersen’s article published in the newspaper on June 7.
The letter says,
"Your article on ‘the Black Hole’ of Nagorno Karabakh by Alexandros
Petersen (June 7) contains so many false allegations and untruths
that it would be laughable if the implications were not so serious.
I was in Nagorno Karabakh last week and I can personally testify to
the ridiculous nature of the claims that ‘Karabakh is a black hole
that attracts arms, drug and human trafficking, money laundering
and organized crime. Chances are that heroin on London’s streets,
illegal weapons in the Paris banlieue, and the underage prostitutes
in Berlin either came through a conflict zone such as Karabakh ,
or were trafficked by a network that uses the area to facilitate
its operations.’
These allegations are outrageous. The Armenians in Karabakh had to
defend their land against well-documented attempted ethnic cleansing by
Azerbaijan in a bitter war from 1991-1994, During that war, Islamist
terrorists fought on the side of Azerbaijan against the Armenians of
Karabakh, who are now rebuilding their shattered lives and land with
laudable commitment to democratic principles (their elections have
been declared free and fair by independent respected international
observers).
My charitable organization supports a Rehabilitation Centre for people
with disabilities which has become recognized by many professional
visitors as a Centre of Excellence, disseminating innovative good
practice throughout the South Caucasus. Over the years, I have
encouraged as many as a thousand people to visit this historic land;
we have traveled widely throughout the small region and every visitor
has been inspired by the graciousness, openness and warm hospitality
of the people. All would join me in signing this letter of rebuttal
of the outrageously absurd and misleading allegations in your article."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
