Armenian Council's response to Alexandros Petersen's article in the Guardian

Dear Sir,

We were very disappointed to see Alexandros Petersen's misinformed and ill-judged article on Nagorno-Karabakh being published in the Guardian on 7th of June.

Despite his affiliations Mr Petersen shows surprising lack of understanding of that part of the world or what is even more worrying, shows unacceptable lack of impartiality for a scholar. The article gives rise to a number of questions, particularly whether Mr Petersen has ever been to Karabakh and what sources he has consulted before penning his article?

Mr Petersen's article is an example of scholars getting involved in political propaganda and misinformation; is it a coincidence that Mr Petersen was recently a guest of honour at the Azeri Embasy in London for a launch of a propaganda book paid for by the Azeri foreign ministry? His close involvement with the government of Azerbaijan raises serious doubts about his impartiality while writing on this subject.

Despite not being formally recognised, the government of Karabakh is going to great lengths to follow international norms in an effort to demonstrate the country's values and aspirations despite no shortage of bellicose rhetoric and threats from the Azerbaijan. Such one-sided and misinformed articles are not going to contribute to the climate of understanding and peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict.

We join the Rt Hon Baroness Cox and other individuals much better informed about the current state of affairs in Karabakh in stating that Mr Petersen's article has little to do with reality and perhaps more to do with a biased viewpoint.

Yours faithfully,

Edgar Danielyan FRSA FBCS

The Armenian Council
London WC1N 3XX