ANC UK Newsletter
May 2023

·         Armenian Genocide Commemoration Events in London

·         Support from UK Members of Parliament

·       Sign the Change.org petition to stop Azerbaijan’s illegal blockade of Artsakh

·         Write to your MP to encourage the UK to recognise the Armenian Genocide and to alert them of Azerbaijan’s latest aggression against Armenia and Artsakh

1.    The Armenian Genocide Commemoration March

On 22 April, the Armenian community and friends of the Armenian community gathered in London and participated in a powerful march organised by the Armenian Community Council of UK to commemorate the victims of the Armenian Genocide and to educate the UK public on the gruesome suffering and deaths to which Armenians were subjected by the Ottoman Empire.

Some of the powerful messages which were carried by our community members in the form of slogans included “Silence is denial”, “UK must recognise Armenian Genocide”, “Hands off Artsakh” and “Turkey is guilty of Genocide”. The demonstration organised by the Armenian Community Council of the United Kingdom also involved the distribution of flyers to raise the public’s awareness of the Armenian Genocide.

The march was led by thirty Homenetmen London Scouts in their uniform.

In gathering and commemorating the victims of the Armenian Genocide, our community called for recognition, reparation and restitution.

2.    Protest in front of the Azerbaijani Embassy and Vigil outside of the Turkish Embassy

On 24 April 2023, the Armenian community protesters gathered in front of the Azerbaijani and Turkish Embassies to (1) call for the end of the illegal blockade of the peaceful population of Artsakh by Azerbaijan; (2) End the Azerbaijani state policy of Ethnic Cleansing; and (3) Turkey to stop the denial of the Armenian Genocide.

The Armenian Community Council of the United Kingdom and the AYF Khanasor organised these protests.

3.    Wreath-laying ceremony by Members of the UK Parliament at the Cenotaph

On 26th April 2023, members of the Armenian National Committee of the United Kingdom hosted a memorial service at The Cenotaph to commemorate the 108th anniversary of the beginning of the Armenian Genocide, committed by Ottoman Turkey between 1915 and 1923, which resulted in the eradication of virtually all Armenians and their cultural heritage from their homeland, in what is now eastern Turkey.

The service received unprecedented support from Parliament, with no less than 13 MPs and two members of the House of Lords representing every major political party attending the event (i.e. the Conservative Party, Labour Party, Liberal Democrats, Scottish National Party, the Democratic Unionist Party and Plaid Cymru). The ANC was also pleased to receive a representative from the National Federation of Cypriots in the UK, as well as the secretariat of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Genocide Prevention. The Ambassador of Armenia to the UK Varuzhan Nersesyan, the chair of the Armenian Community Council of the UK, and several British-Armenian community members were also in attendance.

Following speeches from ANC member Andre Vartanian, All Party Parliamentary Group for Armenia chair Tim Loughton and Ambassador Nersesyan, the Parliamentarians laid wreaths to commemorate the catastrophic loss of Armenian life and heritage, part of a cycle of violence against Armenians which continues to this day.

Member of ANC UK Andre Vartanian welcomed the participants and delivered the following powerful speech: 

“As a British Armenian, and on behalf of the Armenian National Committee UK, I thank you all for attending this solemn memorial event.

Though the last week of April is always a difficult time for Armenians, we are uplifted by the fact that this year marks the first occasion on which every British political party is represented here today.

Whilst it has now been 108 years since the catastrophic horror as the Armenian Genocide bean, I can assure you that today, in 2023, Armenians in the UK and across the world feel its effects as viscerally as ever – not only as a result of the Republic of Turkey’s persistent, flimsy denial and effective glorification of the event, but also because, as I speak, the spectre of death and cultural destruction at the hands of the Republic of Azerbaijan looms over the 120,000 Armenians in the battered, blockaded Republic of Artsakh, their fate largely in the hands of an increasingly pro-Azerbaijan Russian peacekeeping force…”

Andre Vartanian further stressed that a genocide denied is a genocide continued, calling for the UK to (1) revive the historic support that it had previously shown Armenians and (2) recognise the Armenian Genocide, joining its allies through Europe, in the USA and in Canada.

1.    Statements made by Members of UK Parliament

a)    Shadow Minister for Europe, Stephen Doughty MP

Shadow Minister for Europe, Stephen Doughty, delivered a statement on behalf of the Labour Party in respect of the Armenian Genocide:

“My thoughts are with all Armenians as they mark the horrific events of 1915 this week.

Armenians suffered appalling and reprehensible atrocities in the early 20^th century. Labour continues to stand with Armenians in recognising these historic terrible acts against them.

And after a profoundly difficult time, the recent conflict, the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the current blockade of the Lachin Corridor – our hope is to see peace, stability and the rule of law upheld in the region and the rights of all being protected and respected.”

b)    Lord Hylton of the House of Lords

Lord Hylton of the House of Lords urged the recognition of the Armenian Genocide:

“I urge HMG to recognise that the Government of Turkey planned and carried out mass destruction of the people of Armenia during the first world war as Genocide. This set a bad precedent for subsequent dicators.

Armenia and its people deserve international protection at the present time.”

c)    Chair of APPG for Armenia, Tim Loughton MP

Chair of the APPG for Armenia, Tim Loughton, shared his remarks at the wreath-laying ceremony at the Cenotaph for the 108^th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

Tim Loughton highlighted that he was joined by representatives of all the political parties in Westminster, and that the attendees were there to show their support and solidarity (1) with the people of Armenia and (2) for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the United Kingdom.

He also stressed that more than ever, the attendees gathered to remind people that Armenia is still under attack and the people in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) are still suffering hardship because of the recent activities by Azerbaijan.

Tim Loughton also wrote the following:

“On the 26^th I was honoured to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph in memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide. As the Chairman of the APPG for Armenia, I will continue to press the UK Government to officially recognise this atrocity and bring the UK in line with many of our allies around the world, and to remind people that Armenia is once again under attack as Azerbaijan tries to annex Nagorno-Karabakh, which is mostly inhabited by Armenians”.

We thank Tim Loughton and all attendees for their constant support in bringing the important issues surrounding the very survival of our nation to the attention of the UK public as well as the UK Government.  

d)    Member of APPG for Armenia, Giles Watling MP

Giles Watling, Conservative MP and member of APPG for Armenia, addressed the Government in the House of Commons on 27 April by making the following statement: and calling for government time for a debate on the issue of the Lachin (Berdzor) Corridor blockade:

“Yesterday I attended a very touching moment at the Cenotaph when we were marking the 108^th anniversary of the Genocide in Armenia. That poor benighted country has shrunk over many years and decades and now there is an ongoing fight that’s been going on for decades as well in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. And there is the Lachin Corridor, which is being ineffectively policed by Russian so called peacekeepers. There are 120,000 people there who are under-nourished and not getting supplies through. I think we should have government time for a debate on this issue if at all possible”.

You can watch the statement here: Giles Watling in the House of Commons on 27 April 2023.

e)    Lord Alton tweets about Armenian Genocide

f)    Alex Sobel tweets about Armenian Genocide

g)    Jim Shannon tweets about Armenian Genocide

h)    Jessica Morden tweets about her participation at the Cenotaph commemoration

     The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, Genocide 80 Twenty and The National Federation of Cypriots in the UK mark the 108th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide

1)    Deirdre Brown, Deputy Head of the United Kingdom Delegation to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)

On 28 April, Deirdre Brown, Deputy Head of the UK Delegation to OSCE, expressed the UK Government’s “concern regarding ongoing disruptions to the Lachin Corridor”. In particular, Deirdre Brown noted:

“The UK Government remains concerned by the ongoing disruption to the Lachin Corridor. The unilateral establishment of a checkpoint further impedes access and runs counter to efforts to secure peace and stability in the South Caucasus.”

Deirdre Brown further pointed that there is no military solution to this conflict. The link to the original statement: Statement on Lachin Corridor checkpoint.  

As a reminder, after months of a full blockade of the peaceful population of Artsakh, Azerbaijan went even further on 23 April by installing a checkpoint with troops at the entrance to the Lachin (Berdzor) Corridor. The Lachin Corridor is the only road connecting the 120,000 people living in the Republic of Artsakh with the rest of the world. This act by Azerbaijan is a gross violation of provision 6 of the trilateral statement of 9 November 2020, and also of the legally binding decision of the International Court of Justice made on 22 February 2023. It is imperative that the Azerbaijani state takes imminent steps in lifting the blockade and withdrawing the groundless checkpoint system.

2)    Giles Watling MP and Carol Monaghan MP question the FCDO during a Q&A at the House of Commons

Member of the APPG for Armenia and Conservative MP Giles Watling questioned the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office:

Giles Watling (Conservative MP): “What recent assessment has [been] made of the implications for policies of the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict?”

Leo Docherty, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of the State of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs: “The UK values of relationships with both Armenia and Azerbaijan, and we work together on shared interests to advance regional stability, security and prosperity. There is no military solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We continue to engage in substantive negotiations to secure a sustainable and peaceful settlement.”

Giles Watling (Conservative MP): “I recently attended the wreath-laying ceremony at the Cenotaph commemorating the Armenian Genocide 108 years ago. I was with His excellency Varuzhan Nersesyan, the Armenian Ambassador. With that in mind, can my hon. Friend tell me why the United Kingdom has not yet formally recognised the genocide, as many other countries have done?”

Leo Docherty: “Of course, it is a very sensitive subject, but the policy of the UK Government is that recognition of genocide is a matter for judicial decision rather than for Governments or non-judicial bodies. When an international legal body makes a judgment that the crime constitutes a genocide, that is a decisive factor in whether we use that term.”

Carol Monaghan MP (Scottish National Party): “In Nagorno-Karabakh, the humanitarian situation is deteriorating rapidly. More than a dozen non-governmental organisations, including Genocide Watch, have stated that the conditions are ripe for ethnic cleansing. That is a very concerning situation for the 120,000 Armenians who live there. What further pressure can the Government bring to bear to end the blockade of the Lachin corridor?”

Leo Docherty: “We take this extremely seriously. We have urged all parties to return to the negotiating table and to reopen the Lachin corridor. I have spoken directly to the Foreign Ministers of both nations about this. Of course, we are very pleased that we have provided £1 million of humanitarian assistance to the International Committee of the Red Cross following the 2020 conflict”.

We thank Giles Watling MP, Carol Monaghan MP and all our supporters for continuing to advocate for peace in Armenia and in Artsakh and for pushing the UK Government to take firmer steps in respect of the illegal, inhumane blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan as well as in respect of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the United Kingdom.

You can watch the Q&A session here: Giles Watling MP and Carol Monaghan MP question the FCDO.

You can see all the stories on our social networks or by clicking on each of the images below.