British Parliament prepares document on recognition of Khojaly Genocide

Posted by

On the initiative of the European Azerbaijani Society (TEAS), member of the British House of Commons Mike Hancock submitted EDM 893 “Anniversary of Khojaly Massacre” to the British parliament in connection with the 17th anniversary of Khojaly tragedy.

It was said in the document, which condemned the Armenia’s aggressive policy against Azerbaijan, hat the House calls on the Government to recognize the 17th anniversary of the Khojaly massacre and use it as an opportunity to launch a new international peace effort to resolve the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict; notes that the non-resolution of the conflict is a threat to the whole Caucasus region, as well as to UK investment in Azerbaijan; believes that the failure in reaching a peaceful resolution is largely due to the non-implementation by Armenia of UN Security Council Resolutions 822, 853, 874 and 884 which call for the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and for the return of the one million Azerbaijani refugees back to their homes; supports the resolution of the conflict while assuring the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, with high autonomy for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh; and highlights the fact that the UK is the largest foreign investor in Azerbaijan, with 5,000 expatriates and a 20 per cent share in Azerbaijani oil.
Full text of the document is available at http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=37972&SESSION=899
Early Day Motions (EDMs) are formal motions submitted for debate in the House of Commons. However, very few EDMs are actually debated. Instead, they are used for reasons such as publicising the views of individual MPs, drawing attention to specific events or campaigns, and demonstrating the extent of parliamentary support for a particular cause or point of view. An MP can add their signature to an EDM to show their support. The EDM on the anniversary of Khojaly massacre has already been signed by 10 members of the House and is open for signature by the end of the current session – end of 2009.

European Azerbaijan Society was established by Tale Heydarov in Great Britain in 2004. The society is the founder of the English-language magazine “Visions of Azerbaijan” and www.karabakh.co.uk internet portal dealing with Karabakh truths. The society is also the author of the books “Khojaly Tragedy – an International View”, “International Visions: Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Karabakh” and “Azerbaijan: 100 Questions Answered” published in Russian and English. Documentary My Surreal Duty was made by British director Nick Tiron on the initiative of the society. Detailed information about the society and its activity is available on www.t-e-a-s.eu.