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THE GUARDIAN: BRITISH MP WHO HAS AN ACCESS TO HIGHLY SENSITIVE INFORMATION IS BEING PAID FOR LOBBYING OF AZERBAIJAN'S INTERESTS
Panorama
Oct 6 2011
Armenia
A Conservative MP Mark Field, member of the committee that scrutinizes
the security services, is being paid £6,000 a year by a pro-Azerbaijan
lobby group, says the major British newspaper The Guardian.
According to the newspaper, the 46-year-old Mark Field, the youngest
ever MP in the history of the committee, which reports directly to the
headquarters of Her Majesty's Government and oversees the intelligence
and security services of United Kingdom, joined the advisory board
of the European Azerbaijan Society.
Apart from that, he is also the chairman of the all-party group for
Azerbaijan. Regarding to this, the Labour MPs have questioned whether
Field's new job was appropriate, considering the sensitive nature of
the work of the intelligence committee.
"Azerbaijan's government has been criticised this year by the Foreign
Office and Amnesty International for torturing protesters campaigning
for political reforms", says the British newspaper, noting that in
the country ruled by the authoritarian president Ilham Aliev, the
human rights record is poor, the journalists are being harassed and
jailed, the candidates from the opposition are being disqualified
and the voter are intimidated.
In March 2011, as noted in the article of The Guardian, the Amnesty
International called upon the authorities of Azerbaijan to end their
crackdown on activists, who, inspired by the recent events in the
Middle East and north Africa, were preparing for a protest. "Detainees
said they had been waterboarded and threatened with rape while in
police custody", The Guardian says.
In May, Mark Field visited Azerbaijan, where he had meetings with
senior Azeri politicians, and in July 2010 he spoke at the NATO
conference in Baku. This year in March Prince Andrew asked MP Field
for support in parliament and UK governmental administration for
British investments in Azerbaijan, when they met at Buckingham Palace.
The European Azerbaijan Society, according the newspaper, was launched
in November 2008 to promote Azerbaijan to international audiences. Its
main funder and the director is the 26-year-old businessman Tale
Heydarov, the son of one of the Azeri ministers. Over the past years,
the Society has increased its profile in Westminster by providing
secretarial services for the all-party parliamentary group on
Azerbaijan. In addition, the "Conservative Friends of Azerbaijan" was
founded by the society this year, which has 25 Tory parliamentarians
as members.
Meanwhile Labour MP John Mann said that in this matter there is an
obvious conflict of interest. Another member of Parliament from the
Labour Party Lisa Nandi, who chairs the all-party group on corporate
responsibility, said: "As one of a small number of parliamentarians
who have the power to influence the British intelligence services and
access to highly sensitive information, it is inappropriate that he
[Mark Field] is paid by a company promoting a government that is
willing to torture those who question the status quo."
Panorama
Oct 6 2011
Armenia
A Conservative MP Mark Field, member of the committee that scrutinizes
the security services, is being paid £6,000 a year by a pro-Azerbaijan
lobby group, says the major British newspaper The Guardian.
According to the newspaper, the 46-year-old Mark Field, the youngest
ever MP in the history of the committee, which reports directly to the
headquarters of Her Majesty's Government and oversees the intelligence
and security services of United Kingdom, joined the advisory board
of the European Azerbaijan Society.
Apart from that, he is also the chairman of the all-party group for
Azerbaijan. Regarding to this, the Labour MPs have questioned whether
Field's new job was appropriate, considering the sensitive nature of
the work of the intelligence committee.
"Azerbaijan's government has been criticised this year by the Foreign
Office and Amnesty International for torturing protesters campaigning
for political reforms", says the British newspaper, noting that in
the country ruled by the authoritarian president Ilham Aliev, the
human rights record is poor, the journalists are being harassed and
jailed, the candidates from the opposition are being disqualified
and the voter are intimidated.
In March 2011, as noted in the article of The Guardian, the Amnesty
International called upon the authorities of Azerbaijan to end their
crackdown on activists, who, inspired by the recent events in the
Middle East and north Africa, were preparing for a protest. "Detainees
said they had been waterboarded and threatened with rape while in
police custody", The Guardian says.
In May, Mark Field visited Azerbaijan, where he had meetings with
senior Azeri politicians, and in July 2010 he spoke at the NATO
conference in Baku. This year in March Prince Andrew asked MP Field
for support in parliament and UK governmental administration for
British investments in Azerbaijan, when they met at Buckingham Palace.
The European Azerbaijan Society, according the newspaper, was launched
in November 2008 to promote Azerbaijan to international audiences. Its
main funder and the director is the 26-year-old businessman Tale
Heydarov, the son of one of the Azeri ministers. Over the past years,
the Society has increased its profile in Westminster by providing
secretarial services for the all-party parliamentary group on
Azerbaijan. In addition, the "Conservative Friends of Azerbaijan" was
founded by the society this year, which has 25 Tory parliamentarians
as members.
Meanwhile Labour MP John Mann said that in this matter there is an
obvious conflict of interest. Another member of Parliament from the
Labour Party Lisa Nandi, who chairs the all-party group on corporate
responsibility, said: "As one of a small number of parliamentarians
who have the power to influence the British intelligence services and
access to highly sensitive information, it is inappropriate that he
[Mark Field] is paid by a company promoting a government that is
willing to torture those who question the status quo."