The Bishop of Coventry received the following written answers on 4th February 2021:
The Lord Bishop of Coventry asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports that Armenian Churches in areas returned to Azerbaijan have been labelled as ‘Caucasian Albanian’; what discussions they have with the government of Azerbaijan about such reports; and what discussions they have had with the government of Russia about ensuring that Armenian culture is protected in line with the Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, made on 9 November 2020.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con, FCDO): The UK Government has made no assessment of the mentioned reports. The Minister for the European Neighbourhood and the Americas has emphasised to both the Armenian and Azerbaijani Governments, most recently in December, the importance of protecting all cultural heritage sites. The UK Ambassador to Azerbaijan also raised this issue with representatives of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration on 17 November. The protection of cultural heritage affected by conflict and the prevention of acts of destruction remains a priority for this Government. While we have not discussed this specific issue with the government of Russia, we continue to underline our support for the Co-Chairs of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group in reaching a lasting settlement to the conflict and for the important work of international organisations addressing the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas.
The Lord Bishop of Coventry asked Her Majesty’s Government:
- what assessment they have made of reports of Azeri forces committing human rights abuses against Armenian prisoners of war; what steps they are taking to assist the return of all prisoners of war currently held following the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region; and what plans they have to collate any information they have received relating to such abuses in order to refer such reports to the International Criminal Court.
- what representations they have made to the government of Azerbaijan about returning prisoners of war currently held following the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government welcomes the ceasefire agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The UK Government is aware of reports that both sides may have mistreated civilians and military prisoners of war during the conflict and afterwards. The Minister for the European Neighbourhood and the Americas has been in regular contact with the Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers since the outbreak of hostilities in September and has urged credible investigation of these reports. During a call in December she welcomed the news that Azerbaijani investigations were underway. The UK Government has no plans to refer these reports to the International Criminal Court as we believe these matters are for the relevant Governments to investigate.
The Lord Bishop of Coventry asked Her Majesty’s Government, further to the tripartite meeting between the governments of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia on 11 January, what discussions they have had with the government of (1) France, and (2) the United States, about encouraging further involvement of the OSCE Minsk group in discussions about reaching a final settlement on the status of the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK engages regularly with the Governments of France and the United States on the question of Nagorno Karabakh, including since the 11 January tripartite meeting. We continue to emphasise, to all partners, the UK’s support for the Co-Chairs of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group in reaching a lasting settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, in line with the Madrid Principles.
The Church of England in Parliament 
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