Azerbaijan (Hansard, 13 July 1994)

§ The Earl of Shannon
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper. In doing so, I declare an interest as the chairman of the British-Armenian All-Party Parliamentary Group.
The Question was as follows:
Whether they will make representations to the Government of Turkey concerning the proposal to recall the Turkish parliament to authorise the despatch of a Turkish peace-keeping force to Azerbaijan.

§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Employment (Lord Henley)
My Lords, we understand that Prime Minister Ciller is seeking parliamentary authority for Turkey to contribute to a possible CSCE (Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe) monitoring team which might be deployed in support of a cease-fire in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We are not aware of any Turkish proposal to send a separate peace-keeping force to Azerbaijan and therefore have no plans to make representations on the subject.

§ The Earl of Shannon
My Lords, I thank the Minister for his reply. In view of the Turkish support and even encouragement of Azerbaijan's invasion of the Karabakh, does the Minister agree that to suggest that Turkish forces would be suitable as a peace-keeping 1819 force would be about as intelligent as suggesting that the Nazi SS should send in peace-keeping forces to help the Israelis with the Palestinian problem?

§ Lord Henley
My Lords, I repeat what I said in my initial Answer. We are not aware of any suggestions that Turkey is planning to send in a separate peace-keeping force to Azerbaijan. We would certainly view that suggestion with considerable concern. Turkey is part of the CSCE process and is playing a full role in attempts to reach a negotiated settlement. As a result, Turkey has indicated its willingness, along with the United Kingdom, to contribute to any possible CSCE monitoring force to which the parties to the dispute agree.

§ Baroness Cox
My Lords, is my noble friend aware that I recently sent my noble friend Lady Chalker a report about Turkish weapons, which I myself saw last week when I was in Nagorno-Karabakh, which Azerbaijan had been using in its war against the Armenians of Karabakh? Therefore, does my noble friend agree that that not only raises serious questions for Turkey as a member of NATO, but that it would also be very understandable if the Armenians of Armenia and those of Karabakh were to become deeply concerned about any pretence that Turkey might play any kind of impartial role in peace-keeping or even in monitoring?

§ Lord Henley
My Lords, I have to tell my noble friend that we have no evidence of Turkey supplying arms to Azerbaijan. In fact, Turkey has undertaken to respect the CSCE arms embargo to that region. Obviously, any evidence that my noble friend can provide will be taken with enormous seriousness. My noble friend Lady Chalker will examine such evidence with due care and take note of it. We would view any evidence that Turkey was supplying arms with extreme displeasure.

§ Baroness Blackstone
My Lords, does the Minister agree that it is most important to try to bring together the work of the CSCE and that of the Russian Government so as to secure peace in the area, rather than continuing with two separate initiatives? Despite what the Minister said in reply to the noble Baroness, does he also agree that it is vital to halt the flow of arms into the area? It is said that both the Greek and the Turkish Governments have been supplying arms to opposing sides in the region. Can the Minister tell the House what is being done to try to halt that flow from wherever it may come?

§ Lord Henley
My Lords, as I said, we have no evidence of supplies of arms from either Greece or Turkey. However, if there was such evidence of the supply of arms—and I gave an assurance that we would look at what my noble friend can provide in evidence —we would view it with extreme displeasure. As regards the first part of the noble Baroness's question, we are aware of the efforts of the Russians to promote a settlement between the parties. We are also aware of the cease-fire brokered by the Russians in May which seems to be yielding some results. Indeed, there have been only a few serious outbreaks of fighting since then.
1820 But obviously, as the noble Baroness said, it is highly important that those efforts are co-ordinated with those of the CSCE.

§ Lord Avebury
My Lords, is the Minister aware that there has been a large build up of arms on the Azerbaijani side of the border? Further, what steps can the CSCE take to monitor the origin of those weapons so that the embargo can be properly enforced? Will the Minister suggest to the Turks that they themselves should bring pressure to bear on Azerbaijan not to embark upon a fresh offensive and not to attempt to import weapons against the CSCE embargo?

§ Lord Henley
My Lords, as the noble Lord will be aware, the whole region was, I think, awash with arms after the Russian withdrawal from the area. As I said, there is the CSCE embargo on arms supplies to the region. I repeat, we would view with extreme displeasure any breaches of that embargo. At present, we have no evidence of either Turkey or Greece breaching that embargo.