LYNCHBURG, Va — An online campaign is calling upon the National Association of Christian Lawmakers (NACL) to cancel a planned speech by Azerbaijani Ambassador Khazar Ibrahim in solidarity with the Christians of Armenia – the world’s first Christian nation – facing existential threats from Turkey and its oil-rich ally Azerbaijan.

Ambassador Ibraham is listed as a speaker at NACL’s 2023 policy conference scheduled for June 8 through 10 at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. This invitation only event is “for Christian lawmakers, faith leaders, policymakers, believers, pastors, NACL members and supporters from around the United States.” Azerbaijan has attacked and ethnically cleansed vast areas of Artsakh – a Christian land and democratic state on the frontiers of global faith and freedom – executing armed and bound Armenian prisoners of war, using prohibited munitions and recruiting jihadist, ISIS-aligned mercenaries from Syria.

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) has called upon NACL to withdraw its invitation to Ambassador Ibrahim, tweeting: “Armenians – sons and daughters of the 1st #Christian nation (301), fellow brothers & sisters in Christ – call upon @ChristLawmakers  to cancel plans to platform the ambassador of Azerbaijan, a cruel oil-rich dictatorship ethnically cleansing 120,000 indigenous #Artsakh Christians.”

A national ANCA call-in campaign – engaging Christian, Jewish, Muslim and other faith-based communities – is asking concerned citizens to ask former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, “consistent with the Christian values that guide NACL, to withdraw the invitation to the Ambassador of Azerbaijan, a country hell-bent on eradicating #Armenia – the first Christian nation (301 AD).”