CHRISTIAN POLITICIAN IN ARMENIA EXPEDITION

Inspire Magazine
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Aug 7 2008
UK

A leading Liberal Democrat is travelling to the Central Asian nation
of Armenia to see first hand the needs of a nation locked in poverty
since the Soviet era.

Martin Turner, Vice Chair of the Lib Dem Christian Forum and
parliamentary candidate for Stratford upon Avon, and Meryem Turner will
this week visit the city Yerevan before going on to visit community
projects led by international development agency World Vision. The
couple, who are representing Riverside Church, King’s Heath, will
particularly focus on the plight of children.

Despite economic growth, Armenia still faces high levels of child
mortality, low school enrolment, and high HIV/AIDS and TB incidence. It
has a long history of antagonism with neighbours Turkey and Azerbaijan,
and is currently building relations with its southern neighbour Iran.

Martin Turner, who is also Chair of the Lib Dem Parliamentary
Candidates Association, said: "We want to see first hand what life
is like in Armenia, and get a picture of what people in the West
Midlands could be doing to help.

"Britain is right now in the process of withdrawing its funding from
Armenia because it classes it as a ‘middle-income’ nation. But it
has massive levels of child poverty, especially among the under-5s.

"We’re just spending a week there, which is barely enough time to
scratch the surface. But we intend to learn enough to inspire people
here, especially in churches, to put Armenia back on their agendas."