David Lammy sparked a diplomatic row as he described alleged ethnic cleansing by a Russian ally as a ‘liberation’ of its former territory.
The Foreign Secretary is under pressure to clarify the Government’s policy on Azerbaijan’s forced displacement of 100,000 Armenians last year, after he appeared to have rewritten it in a personal blog post.
He also implied that the former Soviet state was no longer aligned with Moscow when in fact the two are growing closer.
Mr Lammy’s gaffe about the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of the Caucasus mountains comes just days after he sparked anger by claiming climate change is a bigger threat than terrorism or tyranny.
David Lammy sparked a diplomatic row as he described alleged ethnic cleansing by a Russian ally as a ‘liberation’ of its former territory
Pictured is Russian President Vladimir Putin
Conservative foreign affairs spokesman Alicia Kearns said: ‘Words matter as Foreign Secretary, especially when opining on conflict’
Two of the pink, purple and blue banners are displayed in the courtyard of the Foreign Office’s historic Grade I-listed headquarters in Westminster. It is the only Whitehall government department building outwardly marking Bisexual Awareness Week
And, as the Mail revealed, his Foreign Office has also been criticised for flying the flag for Bisexual Awareness Week at its historic headquarters rather than focusing on the threat of a widening war in the Middle East.
Last night Conservative foreign affairs spokesman Alicia Kearns said: ‘Words matter as Foreign Secretary, especially when opining on conflict.
‘Contradicting long-standing UK policy in a vanity blog is totally inappropriate and throws into question the Foreign Secretary’s judgement.’
She added: ‘David Lammy needs to urgently clarify the Government’s policy on Nagorno-Karabakh. This is a serious matter – over 100,000 people have been displaced from their homes.
‘The Conservative Party believes encouraging Azerbaijan and Armenia to agree a historic peace treaty is a diplomatic priority, with provisions made for displaced ethnic Armenians to resettle safely in Nagorno-Karabakh.’
Cars line up as Ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh travel to cross the border with Azerbaijan near the village of Kornidzor, pictured last year
Ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh and European Union observers drive their cars past a check point on the road from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia’s Goris in Syunik region
Mr Lammy made the blunder in his very first post on a newsletter he has established to set out his approach to foreign policy, which he has called Progressive Realism.
He described his visit last week to war-torn Ukraine with his American counterpart and wrote about how Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ‘imperialist actions’ are driving Kyiv closer to Europe.
And he made similarly positive claims about many other former Soviet satellites, writing that ‘Tsardom has its limits’.
‘The same effect is notable across Russia’s neighbours. The states of Central Asia look increasingly east and south.
‘Azerbaijan has been able to liberate territory it lost in the early 1990s. Georgia and Moldova are engaging with NATO and EU,’ he wrote.
However many western observers have accused Azerbaijan – which will soon host the COP29 climate summit – of ethnic cleansing.
Baku’s forces overran the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh exactly a year ago after decades of sporadic conflict, forcing an estimated 100,000 Armenians to flee.
At least 200 people were killed when Azerbaijan launched what it described as an ‘anti-terrorist operation’ while almost as many died in a huge explosion at a fuel depot soon afterwards.
An American commentator on the conflict, Professor Mark Movsesion, told GB News: ‘The Foreign Secretary’s reference to Azerbaijan’s ‘liberation’ of Nagorno-Karabakh is shockingly callous and ignorant.
‘In fact, exactly a year ago, Baku ethnically cleansed the region of its 120,000 Christian Armenian inhabitants in violation of an order from the International Court of Justice.’
He added: ‘Lammy seems to think Azerbaijan, like Ukraine, is trying to free itself from Russian domination.
In fact, Azerbaijan and Russia are strategic partners, and Azerbaijan carried out the ethnic cleansing of Karabakh with Russian acquiescence.’
Last night a spokesman for the Foreign Office said: ‘The UK supports the territorial integrity of both Armenia and Azerbaijan and is encouraged by both sides engaging in meaningful dialogue. We will continue to support their commitment to lasting peace in the region.’
Sources insisted Mr Lammy had not signalled a change of policy and that the UK wants a peaceful resolution of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.