British Lord pledges to push Garabagh into parliament's agenda

A member of the House of Lords promised to push the Garabagh issue into the UK parliament’s agenda in Baku.

"One shouldn't be aloof from the sufferings of a million refugees and IDPs”, the British Lord told a meeting with Azeri President Aliyev Monday.

Lord Ahmad was a member of the visiting delegation of the British Houses of Lords and Commons, which arrived in Baku Thursday to become familiar with the socio-political situation in Azerbaijan and discuss opportunities of expanding interparliamentary ties.

The British parliamentarian’s pledge came after Azeri President called for support in the resolution of the decade-long Garabagh conflict, hinting at its benefit for the UK's economy.

The President underscored that relations with the United Kingdom were Azerbaijan's foreign policy priority, pointing to oil and gas cooperation with bp.

Lord Alton, who together with other British MPs met with refugees and IDPs in Baku’s suburbs, said he would inform his Premier of what he had seen about the plight of refugees and IDPs in Azerbaijan.

"Now, you have something to tell those who are being misled about the Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict. Armenian lobbies and pro-Armenian British MPs back Armenians, turning a blind eye to the plight of Azeri refugees", the Azeri President indicated in his turn.

He stressed that the Armenian-minded Baroness Cox visits Armenia at least once a year, spreading misinformation.

Lord Alton touched upon the recent visit of the Vatican pontiff, assessing it as Azerbaijan's courageous step.

“Azeris are very tolerant and patient”, he underlined.

Azeri Foreign Minister emphasized the necessity of international efforts for a soonest solution to the Garabagh dispute on the basis of international law in a meeting with the British MPs Monday.

The British parliamentarians highly estimated relations with Azerbaijan and stressed the need for developing relations in many spheres, including interparliamentary ties, as well as closer cooperation in international organizations.

The British lawmakers also held meetings with Speaker Alasgarov, chairman of the Caucasus Clerical Office Pashazadeh and addressed the Azeri parliament. The visit ended Tuesday.