2024-05-05 00:36:36
For Jessica Morden, member of the United Kingdom Parliament, member of the Labor Party, it is painful to see what has been done to Armenians.
“We have been warned many times, in strict terms, that as long as the eyes of the world are elsewhere, Azerbaijan will take control of Nagorno-Karabakh, and Russia will stand by it. And that’s exactly what happened after a nine-month siege designed to brutally expel the ethnic Armenian population, which the European Parliament described as ethnic cleansing. That is why we must now heed the warnings of those we met in Yerevan just a few weeks ago, who told us that the danger of escalation is always present. Actually, four Armenian soldiers were killed during our visit there. I am talking about the encroachment on 30 villages, the incidents on the border and the fear that Azerbaijan may use military force to force the Russian-backed Zangezur transport corridor, referring to Armenia as “Western Azerbaijan”. It is a fragile truce. I hope the minister will accept those fears and do everything he can with the leverage he has and his relations with Azerbaijan to regulate relations with friendly Armenia,” he said during the debate titled “International support for Nagorno-Karabakh refugees” in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
He noted that most of those forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh ended up in Armenia, although some are in Russia and Europe.
“We are talking about more than 100,000 refugees, almost the entire population of Nagorno-Karabakh, but we must also remember the 40,000 displaced in the 2020 conflict. Every 30th of the population of Armenia is now from Nagorno Karabakh. Although the Armenian government has tried to do everything to integrate them, long-term support is needed.
I will never forget the refugees we met in Jermuk. We promised them that we will vote, and we are doing it today. They endured a nine-month siege, without food, medicine, energy or fuel, surrounded and severely isolated. We heard about those killed and injured by the debris, forced to walk for three days to Armenia because fuel was only sold at inflated prices if they could get it, and about those who died along the way. We heard reports of Russian peacekeepers selling food at inflated prices, exploiting human misery.
International humanitarian aid has arrived, but more is needed. 60 international and local organizations helped, Armenia took a loan from the World Bank. The diaspora, including the South Wales community, has also helped, but long-term integration will require more, where housing and employment are a priority,” the MP said.
According to Mordin, priority should be given to solving humanitarian problems next to diplomatic negotiations.
“It would therefore be good to hear from the Minister what more the UK Government can do with its international partners to address the plight of refugees and the scale of the problem. We have already talked about the £1m bailout and how it should be increased. Could the minister also explain what he knows about the UN response plan? In general, can the minister explain what talks the government is having with the government of Azerbaijan regarding their right to return?