ANC UK Newsletter October 2023 |
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1. Ethnic cleansing of Artsakh: Write to your MP campaign and sign the petition to stop BP from funding Genocide
2. UK Parliamentarians raising the issue of Artsakh
3. Other developments
4. News relating to ANC UK
5. Recent interviews, articles and reports covering the situation in Artsakh |
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On 19 September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale attack on Artsakh, against the 120,000 indigenous unarmed, besieged and starving Armenians living in Artsakh.
At the time of writing, more than 100,000 people have already been forced to flee their homes after enduring 9 months of Azerbaijani genocidal blockades, hunger and attacks.
The ethnic cleansing of Artsakh, which started in 2020, is continuing today. Under duress, a decree was signed on 28 September 2023 to dissolve the historic Armenian Republic of Artsakh. Such a decree has no legal force and we will, of course, fight for the restoration of the Republic of Artsakh. We will call upon the UK government and the international community to establish a future status akin to Kosovo for Artsakh, with the aim of our brothers and sisters being able to safely return to their ancestral homeland, Artsakh.
Photo: David Ghahramanyan
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1. Ethnic cleansing of Artsakh: Write to your MP campaign |
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By writing to your MP you are spreading awareness of the situation regarding Artsakh in the Parliament. Your MP has to write to the Foreign Secretary and raise your concerns. Since we launched this campaign and because of our followers’ involvement, more MPs are raising questions about the UK foreign policy towards Armenian issues.
Please write to your MP to raise their awareness of the situation in Artsakh and to put pressure on the UK Government to take action.
1. Follow the link here to join our campaign.
2. Complete your information and address fields. All areas must be completed.
3. The system will find your MP based on where you live and produce a pre-written letter for you.
4. Send the email to your MP. Let’s amplify our voices!
If you receive responses, please send them to us so we can share them and encourage more people to participate in the campaign.
Writing to your MP can make a real difference – see below the recent responses received from Sir Mike Penning, Conservative MP for Hemel Hempstead.
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Sign the petition to stop BP from funding Genocide
Sign the petition to demand British Petroleum (BP) to stop funding Genocide against the Armenian population of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and speak out against Azerbaijan’s atrocities.
To join the ”No Business with Genocide” campaign, please click here.
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2. UK Parliamentarians raising the issue of Artsakh
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UK Parliamentarians have continued their important work in raising awareness in relation to Azerbaijan’s war crimes committed against the people of the Republic of Artsakh. Please see below some of these recent developments and issues raised.
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Chris Law (Scottish National Party) MP for Dundee West) questions Foreign Secretary Leo Docherty
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Please click the image below to watch the debate
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“According to the Human Rights Watch, over one hundred thousand ethnic Armenians have fled the Nagorno-Karabakh region following military intervention from Azerbaijan. The UK Government’s response to this humanitarian disaster continues to be extremely disappointing”, said Chris Law, Scottish National Party MP for Dundee West, on October 24.
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Alicia Kearns, Conservative MP for Rutland and Melton and Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, said that “the UN must urgently send a monitoring team to Nagorno-Karabakh, it is long overdue, to ensure the safety of 120,000+ ethnic Armenians».
She added that “Situation is extremely grave, with concerns around starvation & collapse of health services following blockades and now military force by Baku”.
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· UK Ambassador to Armenia John Gallagher visited Goris
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On 3 October, UK Ambassador to Armenia John Gallagher visited Goris, Syunik, to learn more about the situation on the ground related to the vulnerable population displaced from Artsakh. He met with displaced people in Goris to learn first-hand about their needs. He also met with representatives of international organisations such as UNICEF, the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) and People in Need, to learn about the support provided to affected people.
The Embassy recalled that the UK announced a £1 million funding to ICRC as it “provides life-saving medication, healthcare and other essential support to vulnerable people from Nagorno-Karabakh who face acute humanitarian challenges”, whereas the Start Fund (to which the UK is a major donor) has allocated £350,000 to support those arriving in Armenia from Artsakh.
John Gallagher, said “The situation related to the Nagorno-Karabakh events has put a tremendous amount of strain on communities. The financial aid from the UK will help families and give the most vulnerable people vital support. The UK will continue to support Armenia’s resilience, security, and development of economic opportunities for all”.
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· Archbishop of Canterbury visits Armenia to show support for Artsakh
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The Archbishop of Canterbury went on a two-day visit to Armenia earlier this month, meeting Church leaders, senior government officials, NGOs as well as refugees who have recently forcibly fled Artsakh.
Archbishop Justin Welby is on a five-day visit to the South Caucasus. In Armenia, the Archbishop visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial, and met His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians. During the meeting, the Archbishop of Canterbury noted: “Armenia was the first Christian kingdom. You were the first region to have the cross as your symbol. This is a symbol of weight, pain and struggle. Armenia has often carried the cross of pain and struggle. The last weeks have seen so many Armenians suffer deeply. I have been praying for you daily. I come here to say you are not forgotten”.
You can read the full news update here.
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4. News relating to ANC UK |
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· ANC UK Chairperson attends meeting at the House of Lords
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The Chairperson of ANC UK attended a meeting at the House of Lords, hosted by the Bishop of Southwark and initiated by Bishop Manukyan. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the crisis which unraveled around Artsakh, and to hear about Archbishop of Canterbury’s recent visit to the Caucasus, focusing on the forcibly displaced and their right to return.
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· Minister of Europe acknowledges ANC UK as the main organisation representing Armenian community in Britain
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Foreign Minister Leo Docherty mentioned ANC UK as one of the major groups representing the Armenian community in the UK. For the full statement, please follow this link.
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· James Joseph Director of the Duty Legacy met with ANC UK chair Annette Moskofian and future collaboration was discussed between the organisations for the Human Rights of people of Artsakh.
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5. Recent interviews, articles and reports covering the situation in Artsakh
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Baroness Cox discussed the ethnic cleansing of the Armenians of Artsakh
Baroness Cox discussed at GB News what is happening to the Armenians of Artsakh as EU lawmakers accuse Azerbaijan of ethnic cleansing. Baroness Cox noted:
“It’s a miniature hell. A massive exodus, food shortages because of blockades and people being taken into prison”.
You can watch the full interview here: GB News – Baroness Cox.
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Nobel Piece Prize Laureate Nadia Murad states that ‘Crime against humanity’ are taking place in Artsakh
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Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Nadia Murad has called on the world to work together and find a solution amid the ongoing “crimes against humanity” taking place in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) as a result of Azerbaijan’s attacks.
You can read the full article here.
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Article by Lindsey Snell at Declassified UK
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BLOCKADING AN OCCUPIED TERRITORY WITH UK SUPPORT
As the world focuses on the intensifying war in Gaza, the UK has been backing another occupation and blockade, of the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijan, an oil- and mineral-rich autocracy where the UK has significant business interests.
Read the article here. |
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Christina Maranci’s report: What Cultural Genocide Looks Like for Armenians in Nagorno -Karabakh
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Read the article by Christina Maranci in The Time about the cultural genocide that the Armenian monuments will face in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) here.
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Baroness Caroline Cox on Nagorno-Karbakh: ‘No Nation Should Put Oil Before Humanitarian Concerns |
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Baroness Caroline Cox was interviewed by James Joseph on October 23 and the criticized the UK inactivity on the Azerbaijani attacks against Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh): “I’m not naive. I can understand oil interest. I can understand commercial interest, but I don’t think it’s the long-term interest of any nation that is bitterly concerned to put oil before humanitarian concerns as the British have in this case. The majority of British people would not care about the price of filling up their car if they knew that such interests funded the deaths of children”.
“I just hope the international community will coordinate by trying to account and stop these horrendous sufferings inflicted on the Armenian people in Nagorno-Karabakh”, she added.
Read the complete interview here. |
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‘Families have been killed here’: Claims of war crimes in Nagorno-Karabakh
Read the article by Will Neal here. |
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To Reinforce the Rules Based Order, the West Must Back Armenia |
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“Azerbaijan is a corrupt and unstable dictatorship that oppresses its own people and is potentially threatened by both Iran and Russia, with Russia having lost influence in the region due to Turkish infiltration into the South Caucasus. Artsakh met all legal provisions for international recognition, given what should have been Azerbaijan’s actual legally claimable territory at the USSR’s fall. Therefore, Artsakh’s people should never give up the hope of returning to their ancient homeland as a free and independent nation with international peacekeepers, if the opportunity permits, by establishing a government-in-exile».
Read the full article here.
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· France initiates UNSC discussion on Nagorno-Karabakh
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France has initiated a new discussion in the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution to create the conditions for the return of the forcibly displaced population of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna has said in the Senate.
Catherine Colonna said that the conditions must include strong guarantees for the rights of the Armenians of Artsakh, including for the preservation of historical-cultural rights, which requires a permanent international presence on the ground.
Colonna said that “Azerbaijan planned and organized the displacement of more than 100,000 Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh. This is an extremely grave crime that cannot remain unanswered”.
Read more here.
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· Armenia submits requests for ten provisional measures against Azerbaijan at ICJ
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Armenia has named the ten provisional measures it seeks the ICJ to determine against Azerbaijan. The request was submitted by Armenia’s agent Yeghishe Kirakosyan during the on the request for indication of provisional measures filed by Armenia against Azerbaijan.
Among other measures, Armenia asks the ICJ to order Azerbaijan to refrain from “preventing the safe and expeditious return to their homes of persons displaced”, to “withdraw all military and law-enforcement personnel from all civilian establishments in Nagorno-Karabakh”, allow access of the United Nations and Red Cross, “refrain from taking punitive actions against the current or former political representatives or military personnel of Nagorno-Karabakh”, “not alter or destroy any monument commemorating the 1915 Armenian genocide or any other monument or Armenian cultural artefact or site present in Nagorno-Karabakh” and “recognize and give effect to civil registers, identity documents and property titles” issued by the authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh.
You can read the complete presentation here.
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· European Parliament condemns Azerbaijan’s attack against Artsakh
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The European Parliament has adopted a resolution on October 5 condemning Azerbaijan’s military aggression against Artsakh and calling on the EU to sanction Azerbaijani officials responsible for the attacks that led to numerous human rights violations. The resolution was adopted with 491 votes in favour, 9 against and 36 abstentions.
You can access the full resolution here.
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We also demand the illegal arrests of all government and military personnel of Artsakh under fictitious charges need to be stopped |
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Make your donation
Please give today to help our campaigns
To continue our ever growing work in lobbying we urgently need funds to have paid staff. All our efforts are done on voluntary basis. Please donate so we can carry on working for the Armenian Cause and raise concerns of the British Armenian community.
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Why Donate?
The Armenian National Committee of the United Kingdom (ANC-UK) is the largest and most influential British-Armenian political grassroots organisation.
Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout Britain and affiliated organisations around the world, ANC-UK actively advances the concerns of the British-Armenian community on a broad range of issues.
The work achieved by ANC-UK is currently on a volunteer basis. However, we are hopeful that in the coming years through the financial support of our community, the ANC-UK chapter will have the necessary funds to open a full-time office employing an Executive Director and a part-time Administrative Assistant.
Setting up an ANC-UK office will allow for our organisation’s goals to be achieved as they have been throughout the diaspora in the United States of America, Canada, Australia and Europe.
As a grassroots organisation, we rely upon you, our community and friends for financial assistance to advance our cause. Your donations support our goal of having a full-time office, to advocate on issues important to all British-Armenians and the Armenian cause.
Thank you for your consideration of our request for your support.
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