Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to be discussed at British parliament
By Sara Rajabova
The Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be discussed at the British parliament.
British MP Christopher Pincher from Tamworth said the MPs will raise the issue in the parliament about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement and the return of IDPs home, the European Azerbaijan Society (TEAS) reported on July 24.
Pincher said the British MPs have visited the new settlements built for IDPs in Sheki. "We were informed about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the impact on Azerbaijan. We will raise the issue in the British Parliament for the conflict to be resolved and internally displaced people to return home," he said.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since a lengthy war in the early 1990s that displaced over one million Azerbaijanis, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions.
Pincher also noted that he joined the "Many Happy Returns" campaign to protect the rights of more than one million refugees and internally displaced persons, victims of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Pincher, being a member of the Committee on Energy and Climate Change in the House of Commons of the British Parliament, has been the chairman of the Azerbaijan-UK friendship group since 2012.
He personally visited the refugee camps and internally displaced persons in Azerbaijan, including Sheki and Gabala.
Pincher said the name "Many Happy Returns" campaign, organized by the European Azerbaijan Society, was chosen on the basis of the congratulatory message in the English style.
"This is a kind of prayer for the fulfillment of the desires of people who want to return home. The photos of displaced people living only in three of 76 refugee camps in the regions of Azerbaijan were posted on the campaign website (www.manyhappyreturnsidp.com). The photos were shot by famous German photographer Philip Rathmer," he said.
Each "Many Happy Returns" card features a portrait of the IDP or refugee that has the same birthday as the recipient, taken in three camps by the renowned photographer Rathmer. It is followed by a personal message.