BRITISH- NAGORNO-KARABAKH ALL-PARTY PARLIAMENTARY GROUP SET UP IN UK HOUSE OF LORDS

Panorama.am
18:35 23/12/2009

"British-Armenian All-Party Parliamentary Group" issued a message
December 20 over the establishment of "British-Nagorno-Karabakh
All-Party Parliamentary Group" in the British House of Lords, Greek
Free Day says.

The "British-Nagorno-Karabakh All-Party Parliamentary Group" was
launched in the House of Lords, British Parliament December 3. The
instigator is Viscount John Desmond Waverley, a former member of the
British-Armenian All-Party Parliamentary Group , who is engaged now
in creating a Parliamentary Group for a country to which he cannot
gain entrance but was able to visit in 1996 ONLY when he posed as
a dedicated member of the British-Armenian All-Party Parliamentary
Group and was welcomed by the Karabakh Authorities , upon the Armenian
Group`s recommendation .

By initiating the British-Nagorno-Karabakh All-Party Parliamentary
Group, Lord Waverley and Baroness Symons have acknowledged
the existence of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, obviously
aware of the fact that during a Referendum in 1991 the people of
Nagorno-Karabakh declared their independence and have, since then,
held five presidential and four parliamentary elections confirmed
by International Observers to be in compliance with International
Electoral Standards and with utmost transparency .

It is of grave concern to the Armenian Group that Baroness Symons and
Lord Waverley have contacted neither the Elected Representatives of
Nagorno-Karabakh, nor the Armenian Embassy in UK nor the Committee
Members of the Armenian Parliamentary Group to receive accurate
information about the situation in that country. By not including
the Karabakh Authorities participation, all their future statements
will lack accuracy and will create a unique precedent in the annals
of the British Parliament: initiating a Parliamentary Group without
its subject being involved in the process.

Lord Waverley and Baroness Symons must bear full responsibility
and face the consequences of the great danger that any inadequately
informed statement by their Group might harm, delay or jeopardize the
current process of peaceful settlement advocated by the International
Organizations engaged in the possible resolution of this very complex
conflict.

The Armenian Group would welcome the cooperation of this newly
formed Group with its Members, with the Members of the Parliament of
Nagorno-Karabakh and the Diplomatic Corps of the Armenian Embassy
and would encourage active correspondence, exchange of policy
and information by facilitating a visit to Karabakh of British
Parliamentarians (including Members of the Karabakh Group).