BRITISH PARLIAMENTARIANS MEET WITH KARABAGH LEADER

STEPANAKERT, OCTOBER 21, ARMENPRESS: Nagorno Karabagh leader Arkady Ghukasian thanked October 20 a British parliamentary delegation for visiting Karabagh, saying it was another good opportunity for Karabagh people to make their voice heard in Europe. The delegation is led by Gordon Marsden, a member of the British House of Commons and Baroness Caroline Cox, who is deputy speaker of the House of Lords.
Ghukasian’s press office said he briefed the delegation members on Karabagh’s recent achievements in such areas as human rights protection and building a democratic state based on rule of law. He also spoke about good conditions for operation of non-governmental organizations.
Ghukasian then spoke about the conflict regulation process saying Karabagh leadership deems the maintenance of the ceasefire as a key point for its population’s security.
Gordon Masden was quoted by Ghukasian’s press office as saying that the visit allowed them to get first-hand and detailed information about Karabagh and its people. He said the aim of the visit was to decide the volume of humanitarian assistance.
Meanwhile Azerbaijan’s foreign affairs ministry sent a letter of protest to British government protesting the visit and describing it as “violation of Azerbaijan’s rights.”
Also a report from Baku said unidentified people wrote the name of Deputy Speaker of the British House of Lords, Baroness Caroline Cox, on the memorial to British soldiers killed in Baku in 1918 using black paint. Police arrived at the scene and removed paint off the memorial.