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 Armenia |  United Kingdom |
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| Diplomatic mission | |
| Embassy of Armenia, London | Embassy of the United Kingdom, Yerevan |
Foreign relations exist between Armenia and the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom recognised Armenia on 31 December 1991. The first Embassy of Armenia in Europe was established in London in October 1992; in 1995 the United Kingdom established an embassy in Yerevan. The two countries maintain collaborative and friendly relations. Both countries are members of the Council of Europe.
In the late 19th century, Armenia was divided between Russia and Turkey. Tensions began to escalate in Turkey in the 1880s and especially the 1890s, leading to a series of international crises that the British tried to help resolve by putting pressure on the Turkish government. Britain had long been a major friend of the Turkish government, helping it resist heavy expansionist pressure from Russia. In the 1880s, London pushed for reforms, with a special focus on better treatment of Christians across the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman government resisted the pressures, and distanced itself from Britain. Instead, Constantinople turned increasingly to Germany for political, financial and commercial support, leading eventually to its entrance into the First World War as a German ally. [1]
As atrocities mounted against Armenians in Turkey, British public opinion was outraged. London tried to coordinate a response from Britain, Russia, Germany, Austria and France. They were unable to agree on suitable sanctions or punishment; historians believe Turkey would have made concessions if threatened with an actual war. Germany wanted to help Turkey; Russia did not want to stir up its own large Armenian community; France wanted to restrict the British role in the region. William Gladstone, a leading Liberal then in retirement, called on Britain to intervene alone. The Liberal Prime Minister Lord Rosebery refused. The crisis weakened Roseberry, who resigned in June 1895. The crisis reached a violent peak in 1896, after bombings in Constantinople led to massive attacks on Armenians living in the city, with thousands murdered. Lord Salisbury, the new Conservative Prime Minister tried and failed to get the Powers to intervene. Nothing was done to help the Armenians. [2] [3] [4]
British policy around 1910 stood in opposition to Russian control of Armenia, and tried to push the Ottoman Empire into improving its treatment of Armenians. [5] When the World War erupted, Britain rejected the idea of forming an Armenian Legion to fight against the Turks. Instead it supported an Armenian Legion under French command that did fight in Cyprus. [6]
As news of the Armenian Genocide emerged, London worked to demonstrate that its imperial responsibilities included the enforcement of human rights. The Turks responded with a heightened anti-British nationalism. [7] [8]
There are various state visits between Armenia and the United Kingdom the latest being the visit of the British State Minister of Europe David Lidington to Yerevan. Additionally President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan visited the United Kingdom in July 2012.
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher visited Armenia in June 1990 when it was part of the Soviet Union.
The devolved governments of Wales and Scotland recognize the Armenian genocide, however the British government does not recognize the Armenian genocide, as it considers that the evidence is not clear enough to respectively consider "the terrible events that afflicted the Ottoman Armenian population at the beginning of the last century" genocide under the 1948 UN convention. The British government states the "massacres were an appalling tragedy" and condemns them stating that this was the view of the government during that period. [9]
According to Vered Amit's Armenians in London: The Management of Social Boundaries, published in 1989, around 10,000 Armenians were living in Greater London at the time. The majority were thought to be first-generation immigrants from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Cyprus. [10] They also include Armenians from Ethiopia, India, Egypt, Israel, as well as individuals from other countries.
Manchester has been home to an Armenian population since 1835, with 30 Armenian businesses thought to have been operating in the city by 1862. [11]
Articles related to Armenia include:
The Hamidian massacres also called the Armenian massacres, were massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in the mid-1890s. The casualties were around 100,000 resulting in around 50,000 orphaned children. The massacres are named after Sultan Abdul Hamid II, who, in his efforts to maintain the imperial domain of the declining Ottoman Empire, reasserted pan-Islamism as a state ideology. Although the massacres were aimed mainly at the Armenians, in some cases they turned into indiscriminate anti-Christian pogroms, including the Diyarbekir massacres, where, at least according to one contemporary source, up to 25,000 Assyrians were also killed.
Diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey are officially non-existent and have historically been hostile. Whilst Turkey recognised Armenia shortly after the latter proclaimed independence in September 1991, the two countries have failed to establish diplomatic relations. In 1993, Turkey reacted to the war in Nagorno-Karabakh by closing its border with Armenia out of support for Azerbaijan.
Bilateral relations exist between Armenia and Greece. Due to the strong political, cultural and religious ties between the two nations, Armenia and Greece today enjoy excellent diplomatic relations. They have always been strong both emotionally and historically due to religious and cultural roots and co-existence during the Byzantine period and under the Ottoman Empire.
Relations between Armenia and France have existed since the French and the Armenians established contact in the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia in the 12th century. Formal diplomatic relations between Armenia and France were established on 24 February 1992. Due to the good relations between the two countries, 2006 was proclaimed the Year of Armenia in France.
Armenian genocide recognition is the formal acceptance of the fact that the Ottoman Empire's systematic massacres and forced deportation of Armenians from 1915 to 1923, both during and after the First World War, constituted genocide.
A bilateral relationship exists between Armenia and Israel. From 1993 to 2007, Armenia was served by the Embassy of Israel in Georgia. In 1996, Tsolak Momjian was appointed the honorary consul of Armenia in Jerusalem. Eleven years later, the residence of the Embassy of Israel in Armenia was moved to Jerusalem. In October 2010, Shmuel Meirom was appointed the Israeli ambassador to Armenia. Armen Melkonian was appointed the Armenian ambassador to Israel in 2012, with a residence in Cairo. In October of that year, Melkonian presented his credentials to Israeli President Shimon Peres. On 21 September 2019 Armenia announced that it would be opening an embassy in Israel. Despite generally cordial ties between the two, relations soured after Armenia withdrew its ambassador to Israel due to Israeli arms supply to Armenia's enemy, Azerbaijan, in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War.
The relations between Turkey and the United Kingdom have a long history. The countries have been at war several times, such as within the First World War. They have also been allied several times, such as in the Crimean War. Both countries currently maintain relations via the British Embassy in Ankara and the Turkish Embassy in London.
Bilateral relations exist between Armenia and Serbia. Diplomatic relations between Armenia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia were established on 14 January 1993; Serbia is the legal successor to this country. Both countries are represented through their respective embassies and both have established honorary consulates, which serve as diplomatic representatives between the two countries.
Foreign relations exist between Armenia and Uruguay. Uruguay, as a small South American nations hosts a large Armenian community for its size. The Armenian community in Uruguay totals approximately 16,000 people.
Serbian–Turkish relations are foreign relations between Serbia and Turkey. Serbia has an embassy in Ankara and a consulate-general in Istanbul. Turkey has an embassy in Belgrade. Both countries are full members of the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) and the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC). Turkey is a member of NATO. Serbia instead is not a member of NATO.
Armenian–Syrian relations are foreign relations between Armenia and Syria. Armenia has an embassy in Damascus and a consulate general in Aleppo. In 1997, Syria opened an embassy in Yerevan. Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa visited Armenia in March 1992.
Foreign relations have reportedly always been strong between Armenia and Cyprus. Cyprus has been a supporter of Armenia in its struggle for the recognition of the Armenian genocide, economic stability and the resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In return Armenia has been advocating a stable Cyprus after the Turkish invasion in 1974 and supporting a lasting solution to the Cyprus dispute.
Foreign relations exist between Armenia and China. The first references to Armenian-Chinese contact are found in the works of 5th-century historian Moses of Chorene and 6th-century geographer and mathematician Anania Shirakatsi. The People's Republic of China officially recognized Armenia on December 27, 1991. Diplomatic relations between Armenia and the People's Republic of China were established on April 6, 1992. The Embassy of China to Armenia was established in July 1992, while the Embassy of Armenia to China started its activities on August 10, 1996. The Armenian Ambassador to China resides in the Beijing embassy.
The nations of Armenia and Mexico established diplomatic relations in 1992. Both nations are members of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization.
The Armenian community of the United Kingdom consists mainly of British citizens who are fully or partially of Armenian descent. There has been sporadic emigration from Armenia to the UK since the 18th century, with the biggest influx coming after the Second World War. The majority are based in the major cities of London and Manchester. The 2001 UK Census recorded 589 Armenian-born people living in the UK, and in 2013, the Office for National Statistics estimated that there were 1,235 people born in Armenia resident in the UK, with the number of Armenian nationals being 1,720, although it has been estimated by the Armenian Diaspora Conference that there are up to 18,000 ethnic Armenians including those who are British-born, and of part Armenian descent, living in the UK.
Relations between Armenia and Brazil, have existed for decades. The Armenian community in Brazil is the second largest in Latin America totaling approximately 100,000 members. Armenia has an embassy in Brasília and Brazil has an embassy in Yerevan.
Armenia–Spain relations are the bilateral relations between Armenia and Spain. The importance of relations centers on the history of Armenians migration to Spain. Approximately 40,000 Armenians and their descendants reside in Spain. Both nations are members of the Council of Europe and the OSCE.
Bilateral relations exist between Armenia and Iraq. Armenia has an embassy in Baghdad, and Iraq has an embassy in Yerevan.
On 24 May 1915, on the initiative of Russia, the Triple Entente—Russia, France, and the United Kingdom—issued a declaration condemning the ongoing Armenian genocide carried out in the Ottoman Empire and threatening to hold the perpetrators accountable. This was the first use of the phrase "crimes against humanity" in international diplomacy, which later became a category of international criminal law after World War II.
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