The chairwoman of the Azerbaijani Society of Great Britain, Farida Panahova, informed that the famous Carlton Club, located in central London, planned to hold an event on February 5, 2024, on the topic “Armenia: Ethnic Cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh”. The event was to be organized by Baroness Caroline Cox, who is pro-Armenian and known for her hostility towards Turks and Islam, with the support of Lord de Molay T.D. and the Ambassador of Armenia to the United Kingdom, Varuzhan Nersisyan.
Upon learning of this, the Azerbaijani Society of Great Britain sent an open letter of protest on behalf of the Azerbaijani community in the country to the management of the Carlton Club. Copies of the letter were addressed to the British Foreign Minister David Cameron, members of Parliament, members of the House of Lords Lord Evans, Lord Ahmad, Lord Kilclooney, Lord Sarfraz, and Baroness Manzila Pola Uddin, the Minister for Europe and North America Leo Docherty, the head of the special Foreign Affairs Committee Alicia Kearns, and the leadership of the “Voice of Conservatives” organization.
It was noted that the unjustified event at a historic site deeply concerned the Azerbaijani community. It was emphasized that at a time when Azerbaijan and Armenia are close to signing a peace treaty, organizing such an event clearly violates the peaceful prospects between the two countries, which is completely contrary to the position of the United Kingdom, which supports peace and its foreign policy.
It was once again reminded that accusations of ethnic cleansing against Azerbaijan are utterly unfounded, as missions from the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross investigating the facts found no evidence of damage to civilian infrastructure in Karabakh or that the Azerbaijani authorities forcibly relocated Armenian civilians. Additionally, it was highlighted that, surprisingly, the Ambassador of Armenia to the United Kingdom was among the organizers of a meeting against the policies of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
Noting that the continuation of baseless accusations without solid evidence could lead to an undesirable situation and recalling last year’s example of Queen Mary University, the chairwoman of the society urged the management of the Carlton Club to cancel this biased event.
In an official letter dated January 22, 2024, addressed to Farida Panahova, chairwoman of the Azerbaijani Society of Great Britain, from Simon Robinson, the secretary of the Carlton Club, it was confirmed that the meeting would not take place at the club. “This is another victory of the Azerbaijani diaspora in the UK over the Armenian diaspora and pro-Armenian forces,” emphasized Farida Panahova.
