In response to the statement by the Minister of State of Artsakh, according to which the Diaspora is not implementing its full potential to aid Artsakh, the chairperson of the Armenian National Committee of Great Britain noted with disappointment that as a result of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s announcement that Armenia recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan, the activities of the Armenian National Committee are facing great obstacles. “This development is deeply concerning for us. It puts us in a dilemma when we discuss the Artsakh issue with high-ranking political figures,” says Anette Moskofian.
She highlights, “In the past, during the war, we did not have such problems. We all acted as one nation. However, today the Government of Armenia has a different agenda, which does not correspond to the agenda of the Armenian people, especially Hay Dat. Longing for Ararat and self-determination of Artsakh are not included in the agenda of this Government.”
The Committee conveyed that for decades they have raised the right to self-determination of the people of Artsakh, but now this right is under question because it is no longer part of the policy of the Government of Armenia.
“We believe that the conflict can be resolved only through exercising Artsakh’s right to self-determination. We have always believed that our cause is just, that peoples have the right to self-determination, regardless of the circumstance of territorial integrity. Now things have become very difficult because we are raising problems that the Government is ignoring. We consider this anti-Armenian activity. Once this issue is solved, our lobbying will become much easier. At this moment, our national values, the values that unite us, are under question. All of us should realize that without Artsakh, Armenia will not exist,” the Committee’s chairperson Anette Moskofian warns.
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Referring to Artsakh State Minister Nersisyan’s assertion that the Diaspora is not utilizing its full potential for Nagorno-Karabakh, she stresses, “Since December, we have raised this issue in Parliament through the members of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Armenia. According to Moskofian, certain MP’s consider Nikol Pashinyan’s statements about Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity as betrayal. She stated that a debate was organized in the Westminster Hall of the UK Parliament House of Commons regarding the situation in Artsakh.
The chairperson of the Committee informed that last week they met the UK Minister for Europe Leo Docherty and clearly conveyed all concerns about the blockade of Artsakh, demanding stringent actions from the UK Government.
“Our goal is to present the importance of Artsakh for the statehood, sovereignty and security of Armenia because our sovereignty and statehood are threatened due to the Government’s policy. We make every effort to strengthen the state’s national interests.”
Concluding her remarks, the chairperson recalls the speech of Baroness Caroline Cox, Member of the House of Lords of the United Kingdom legislature, about peace and war. “Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain (1937-1940) promised the nation “peace in our time,” but there was no peace. His successor, Winston Churchill (1940-1945) assumed the post of Prime Minister promising nothing more than “blood, toil, sweat and tears.” But the indescribable price of “blood, toil, sweat and tears” resulted in the privilege we now enjoy of living in freedom,” the chairperson of the Armenian National Committee of Great Britain quotes, adding that the Armenian authorities are pursuing a fake and unrealistic peace agenda.
Arsen Ayvazyan
