ANC UK Newsletter #24 - Armenian National Committee of United Kingdom

ANC UK Newsletter No 24

Applications are open for internship opportunities with MPs and ANC UK.
Leader of the Opposition Keir Starmer responds to Azerbaijani aggression
Meet our newly elected officers of the APPG for Armenia
Andrew Rosindell MP questions the Government on Azerbaijani aggression and UK measures
French Senate and French National Assembly call for sanctions on Azerbaijan and recognition of Artsakh
BBC accused of ‘whitewashing’ autocratic Azerbaijan in BP-sponsored film
MP Jessica Morden (Labour) visits the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Wales

Applications are open for internship opportunities with MPs and ANC UK!

We are extremely excited to announce the possibility of an internship with Members of Parliament (MPs). If you are an 18–28 year old interested in Politics, then we encourage you to apply for this exciting experience.

Young individuals who are currently studying or have studied International Relations, Law, History and Politics have a chance to get work experience. The internship gives the opportunity to shadow MPs (at constituency and parliamentary offices) for a set period, allowing interns to work closely with MPs and gain invaluable knowledge of the parliamentary process.

As part of the internship, you will also receive training with ANC UK on how to advocate for the Armenian Cause.

As British Armenians, we consider that we should have better representation in local politics so we can have future British Armenian MPs, Councilors, politicians and lobbyists.

If you are interested in applying, please express your interest by sending your CV to: info@ancuk.org.uk .

Only those who have a passion and commitment should apply.

We are very much looking forward to hearing from you!

Applications for Content Creating for ANC UK!

We are looking for young people to help us create our social media posts. If you want to gain internship experience in this field for a voluntary position, please send your CV to: info@ancuk.org.uk

Leader of the Opposition Keir Starmer responds to Azerbaijani aggression

Leader of the Opposition (Labour Party) Keir Starmer responded to the Azerbaijani aggression which occurred in September 2022.

Keir Starmer voiced that he is “deeply concerned to hear of a return to violence”. He further highlighted that “Labour is aware of reports that Azeri troops occupied around four square miles of Armenian territory” and that Labour hopes the UK Government will continue the de-escalation of tensions.

We are very encouraged to hear that the situation in South Caucuses has alarmed the Labour Party. However, we hope that this will lead to the party condemning Azerbaijan’s aggression and their committed war crimes.

We thank Keir Starmer for his statement and very much hope that the UK Government takes active steps to stop the recurring Azeri violence on the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh.

Keir Starmer’s statement was in response to our “Write to your MP” campaign, which you can still take part in by clicking on the following link: https://ancuk.org.uk/take-action/write-to-your-mp/. The whole process should take no more than 30 seconds, and as evident, is an easy and effective way of letting your MP know of the most recent Azerbaijani military aggression towards the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh.

We have included Keir Starmer’s full response to the campaign below:

Our newly elected officers of the APPG for Armenia

Please meet our newly elected officers of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Armenia.

The APPG for Armenia promotes positive relations between the UK and Armenia and their elected parliamentarians and people. It also raises important awareness around issues important to the British Armenian community.
ANC UK Chair Annette Moskofian was also re-elected as group Secretariat.

You can find out more about the members of the APPG: https://ancuk.org.uk/about-anc-uk/appg-for-armenia/

Andrew Rosindell MP questions the UK Government on Azerbaijani aggression and calls for UK measures

Andrew Richard Rosindell MP, Vice Chair of APPG for Armenia, questioned the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on 18 October 2022 regarding the discussions which the UK has had with NATO allies on Azerbaijan’s military advances in Armenia.Andrew Rosindell MP is a British Conservative politician and the Member of Parliament for the Romford constituency in Greater London since 2001. His question was answered by Leo Doherty (Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)) as follows:

“I [Minister Docherty] spoke with Armenian Foreign Minister Mirzoyan on 15 September to express condolences for lives lost during hostilities along the Azerbaijan-Armenia border and to emphasise the renewed urgency of substantive negotiations to settle all outstanding matters between the parties. The United Kingdom will continue to work with both parties to the conflict in the coming months to support efforts to secure regional stability and security.”

We thank Andrew Rosindell MP for posing the important question of the need for the UK Government to address Azerbaijani aggression. Although two years have now passed since the ceasefire agreement of 9 November 2020, the war has not stopped – Azerbaijan relentlessly continues to act as the aggressor through its unprovoked attacks on the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh, with the latest violation by Azerbaijan of the ceasefire regime in Artsakh having taken place on Monday 28 November.

French Senate and French National Assembly call for sanctions on Azerbaijan and recognition of Artsakh

Both chambers of the French Parliament have adopted resolutions over the last two weeks calling for sanctions on Azerbaijan in support of Armenia.The French Senate has adopted a resolution calling on the French Government to recognise Artsakh and to impose economic sanctions on Azerbaijan for its recent attacks against Armenia and aggression against Artsakh. The Senate further calls on Azerbaijan to withdraw its troops from the territory of Armenia. The resolution was adopted with an impressive 295-1 vote.

The document proposes the possibility of confiscating the assets of the leaders of Azerbaijan and embargoing gas and oil supplies. Demands are also made for Azerbaijan to immediately withdraw from the occupied territories of Armenia.

The French National Assembly has, similarly, unanimously adopted a resolution on 30 November 2022 which calls for sanctions against Azerbaijan. The resolution supports Armenia and condemns Azerbaijan’s attack and violation of Armenia’s sovereign territory.

Among other things, the National Assembly calls for an end to the military occupation by Azerbaijan of the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia, the immediate unconditional withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces and the release and repatriation of all Armenian prisoners of war.

Additionally, the French Senate calls on the French Government to discuss the issue of creating a humanitarian office in Artsakh, particularly by providing assistance in the defence sphere. The National Assembly further welcomes the establishment of a European Union civilian mission aimed at restoring confidence and stabilising the situation on the ground and invites the Government to work within the United Nations Organisation with a view to deploying an international force capable of ensuring the end of hostilities.

We thank the French Senate and the French National Assembly for their active steps and call for the UK Parliament to take similar steps, condemning and imposing sanctions on Azerbaijan for its unprovoked attacks on Armenia and Artsakh.

BBC accused of ‘whitewashing’ autocratic Azerbaijan in BP-sponsored film

BBC has recently been accused of being “passive” in its coverage of the human rights situation in Azerbaijan. The BBC’s “Wonders of Azerbaijan” film is part of a wider editorial series which explores areas of cultural interest around the world. The film was made with BP’s funding of £300,000 and the help of Azerbaijan’s ruling Aliyev family. BP is the largest foreign corporate investor in Azerbaijan.Emin Huseynov, an Azerbaijani journalist and human rights activist who had to flee the country in 2015 to avoid persecution, has accused the BBC of “whitewashing a dictatorship” over the film.

Among other things, the film implicitly and groundlessly promotes Azerbaijan’s rights to Shushi in Artsakh. To read James Dowsett’s article on openDemocracy regarding how exactly BBC is ‘whitewashing’ the Azerbaijani dictatorship in the film, please see the following link: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/odr/bbc-accused-of-whitewashing-autocratic-azerbaijan-in-bp-sponsored-film/.

MP Jessica Morden (Labour) Vice Chair of the APPG for Armenia visits the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Wales

MP Jessica Elizabeth Morden has recently visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Wales. The Armenian Genocide Memorial is a monument in the garden of the Temple of Peace in Cardiff, Wales and is the first UK monument to formally recognise the Armenian Genocide.MP Jessica Morden wrote:

“Joining members of the Armenian community in Wales at the annual remembrance service yesterday at the memorial in the garden of The Temple of Peace”.

Her full post is here: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=533725348570733&set=a.356060419670561

We thank everyone for their continued support and urge the UK Government to condemn and sanction Azerbaijan for its gross violations of international law and peace.

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.

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.

By setting up an ANC-UK office, it will allow for our organisations 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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Our mailing address is:
7 Bell Yard, London WC2A 2JR

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