British diplomat: ‘Status quo on Nagorno Karabagh is unacceptable’

”I felt very privileged and proud to be chosen as British Ambassador to Azerbaijan, particularly at such an exciting time in its history and when bilateral relations are so close,” UK Ambassador to Azerbaijan Peter Bateman said in his interview.

”Azerbaijan is a friend and close strategic partner of the UK. We have a warm and wide ranging relationship. There have been a number of senior visits between Baku and London, including most recently Charles Hendry, the UK Minister of Energy and Climate Change. We hope there will be many more in the months and years ahead,” he noted.

There is an equally close relationship at a commercial and people to people level. The UK is the largest foreign investor in Azerbaijan and BP’s partnership with Azerbaijan has been a huge success story for both parties. Azerbaijan is home or a regular destination for a large British business community. The UK welcomes many Azerbaijani students to our universities as well as tourists to our country.

”Baku will host the Eurovision song contest in May which will be a wonderful opportunity for Azerbaijanis to introduce the country to visitors – of which we expect many to be British. And of course, for our part, we look forward to welcoming many Azerbaijani visitors and athletes to the London Olympics and Paralympics this summer,” Bateman said.

He noted Azerbaijan is strategically important to Europe, not just the UK, as it holds the key to diversifying Europe’s energy supply. He said the UK is concerned that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains unresolved and is therefore a source of regional instability.

“The status quo on Nagorno Karabagh is unacceptable and the UK is keen to see a peaceful resolution of the conflict as soon as possible,” he stated.


/APA/