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    Categories: 2023

RESEND: Diocese Leads 40 Ecumenical Leaders in Urging U.S. President to Act for Artsakh

PRESS OFFICE 

Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern) 

630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016 

Contact: Chris Zakian 

Tel: (212) 686-0710; Fax: (212) 779-3558 

E-mail: chrisz@armeniandiocese.org 

Website: www.armenianchurch.us 

 

September 1, 2023

__________________ 

 

ATTENTION EDITOR: In this resend of my previous message, some formatting issues have been fixed, for your convenience.


 

HEADLINE

40 Ecumenical Leaders Urge U.S. President to Act for Artsakh

 

This week, a coalition of Christian church and organizational leaders in the U.S. made an urgent appeal to President Biden, to intervene on behalf of the Armenians of Artsakh.

 

In their August 29 letter, more than 40 faith leaders voiced concerns over the continuing blockade of Artsakh and the humanitarian crisis it has caused.

 

“We urge you,” the letter reads, “to use the influence of your good offices to seek an immediate end to the devastating Azerbaijani blockade of the Lachin Corridor, which is the only point of access to more than 120,000 Armenians who live there and whose families have resided there for centuries. Of the 120,000 Armenians at risk, 9,000 of them are people with disabilities, 20,000 of them are elderly, and 30,000 of them are children, particularly vulnerable to the effects of starvation.”

 

The religious leaders left no doubt in their appeal that the Armenians of Artsakh are facing a “soft genocide” due to the blockade, whose goal is to deprive the people of food and other essentials needed for survival. The letter references (and links to) recent reports from expert observers, United Nations officials, and human rights groups, all attesting to the gravity of the situation and the need for intervention to prevent a large-scale human tragedy.

 

An emphatic final statement implores President Biden “to take urgent action to end the blockade of Artsakh, to provide the necessary humanitarian assistance that is needed to sustain life and to ensure that such supplies can be delivered, and to end the suffering of the people of Artsakh so that the soft genocide we are witnessing is averted. We also urge you to do all that you can to seek an immediate diplomatic solution—including working with international partners and the governments of Azerbaijan and Turkey—to find a resolution to this continuing political crisis and humanitarian disaster.”

 

 

* Assembling a Moral Consensus

 

The letter emerged from an August 14 video conference call, organized by Diocesan Primate Fr. Mesrop Parsamyan and Diocesan Legate and Ecumenical Director Archbishop Vicken Aykazian. During that conference, Fr. Mesrop thanked the high-ranking faith leaders for their earlier support of Armenia and Artsakh, and gave an overview of the present crisis and its background in the long-simmering Karabagh conflict.

 

“We are living through another time of trouble,” the Primate told listeners. “It is not the first such time in Artsakh’s long history. But this time, the stakes are very high; the forces against us are very powerful. The urgent truth is that this time, the very existence of Artsakh as an Armenian Christian land is at stake; its material culture, its heritage, its people are all at risk of extermination.”

 

Archbishop Aykazian then described the present situation in detail, aided by Armenian community activists Sonya Nersessian and Lenna Hovanessian. The audience members—made up of leaders from the American ecumenical groups National Council of Churches, Christian Churches Together, and other faith organizations—were deeply moved by the presentation and suggested taking action through a direct appeal to the President.

 

Their letter of August 29 was the result, which is reproduced below, along with the list of distinguished signatories, and active hyperlinks to the international reports referenced in the text.

 

* * *

 

August 29, 2023

 

President Joseph R. Biden

The White House

Washington, DC

 

Subject: Call for urgent action to end the soft genocide of the people of Artsakh

 

Dear President Biden,

 

We write as leaders of Christian communions and agencies in the United States with grave concerns over the continuing blockade of the people of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabagh. Through our ecumenical and global ecclesial partnerships and ties, we have long and deep connections with the Armenian people, especially through the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Armenian Evangelical (Protestant) Church. These relationships have intensified our awareness of the crisis in Artsakh over these past two years, and particularly the immediate crisis of recent days and weeks. We urge you to use the influence of your good offices to seek an immediate end to the devastating Azerbaijani blockade of the Lachin Corridor, which is the only point of access to more than 120,000 Armenians who live there and whose families have resided there for centuries. Of the 120,000 Armenians at risk, 9,000 of them are people with disabilities, 20,000 of them are elderly, and 30,000 of them are children, particularly vulnerable to the effects of starvation.

 

A report released on August 8 by Mr. Luis Moreno Ocampo, former prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, concluded that “There is a reasonable basis to believe that a genocide is being committed.” The report continued, stating that “Starvation is the invisible genocide weapon. Without immediate dramatic change, this group of Armenians will be destroyed in a few weeks.” The blockade prevents the delivery of food, water, medical supplies, fuel, and other essentials for the population there to survive. It also has cut off internet access for communications. Further, there is no access into or out of the area, including for international agencies like the Red Cross.

 

Well-respected international figures and organizations such as UN Special Rapporteurs, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, Freedom House, and the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention have all spoken in support of the people of Artsakh, decrying their plight, and urging action.

 

The National Council of Churches in the USA has spoken of the urgency of this issue as well. In a November 2020 statement lamenting the continuing military assault in Artsakh, US church leaders wrote, “Leaders of the nation of Armenia have appealed to regional and global powers to use their leverage to bring peace and relief. The militarization of the area has only served the interests of outside powers, and not the interest of the people who live there.”

 

Paul writes in the first letter to the people of Corinth, “If one member suffers, all suffer together with it.” We are acutely aware of the suffering of the Christian Armenian community in Artsakh. We must stand in solidarity with the people there, and it is our duty to advocate for their rights and their lives.

 

We therefore implore you to take urgent action to end the blockade of Artsakh, to provide the necessary humanitarian assistance that is needed to sustain life and to ensure that such supplies can be delivered, and to end the suffering of the people of Artsakh so that the soft genocide we are witnessing is averted. We also urge you to do all that you can to seek an immediate diplomatic solution—including working with international partners and the governments of Azerbaijan and Turkey—to find a resolution to this continuing political crisis and humanitarian disaster.

 

We offer our prayers and our voices to prevent further harm, and for your strength and courage to dedicate the necessary efforts to work for peace with justice in the midst of this tragedy.

 

In Christ’s name,

 

Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie

President and General Secretary

National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA

 

Rev. Dr. Angelique Walker-Smith

World Council of Churches President from North America

 

Dr. Monica Schaap Pierce

Executive Director

Christian Churches Together in the USA*

 

Rev. Eddy Alemán

General Secretary

Reformed Church in America

 

Bishop Mar Awa III

Catholicos-Patriarch

Assyrian Church of the East

 

Archbishop Vicken Aykazian

Ecumenical Director and Diocesan Legate

Armenian Church of America (Eastern Diocese)

 

Rev. David E. Bennett

President

Moravian Church, Northern Province

 

Bishop Thomas Bickerton

President, Council of Bishops

United Methodist Church

 

Rev. Bronwen Boswell

Acting Stated Clerk

Presbyterian Church (USA)

 

Stassi D. Cramm & K. Scott Murphy

Presidents/Heads of Communion

Community of Christ

 

Bishop Michael Curry

Presiding Bishop and Primate

Episcopal Church

 

Christie Duncan-Tessmer

General Secretary

Religious Society of Friends, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

 

Bishop Sally Dyck

Ecumenical Officer

United Methodist Church

 

Bishop Elizabeth Eaton

Presiding Bishop

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Vice Chair, NCC Governing Board

 

Archbishop Elpidophoros of America

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

 

Protodeacon Sergei Kapral

Orthodox Church in America

 

Rev. Dr. James Lawrence

President

Swedenborgian Church of North America

 

Bishop W. Darin Moore

Presiding Prelate of the Mid-Atlantic District

African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church

 

Rev. Teresa Hord Owens

General Minister and President

Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

 

Dr. Tyrone S. Pitts

General Secretary Emeritus and Ecumenical Officer

Progressive National Baptist Convention

 

Metropolitan Serapion

Metropolitan of Los Angeles

Coptic Orthodox Church

 

Bishop Teresa E. Snorton

Chair, NCC Governing Board

Ecumenical Officer

The CME Church, Inc.

 

Rev. David Steele

General Secretary

Church of the Brethren

 

Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson

General Minister and President

United Church of Christ

 

Metropolitan Tikhon

Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada

Orthodox Church in America

 

Rev. Phil Tom

Executive Director

International Council of Community Churches

 

Dr. C. Jeff Woods

General Secretary

American Baptist Churches USA

 

Rev. Dr. Elijah R. Zehyoue

Co-Director

Alliance of Baptists

 

V. Rev. Peter Baktis

Mother of God, Joy of All Who Sorrow Church

Orthodox Church in America

 

Rev. Dr. David Beckmann

Coordinator

Circle of Protection

 

Bishop E. Anne Henning Byfield

Presiding Bishop, Thirteenth Episcopal District (Tennessee and Kentucky)

African Methodist Episcopal Church

 

Rev. Eugene Cho

President/CEO

Bread for the World

 

Bishop Suzanne Darcy Dillahunt

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Southern Ohio Synod

 

Dr. Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker

Director

African Methodist Episcopal Church – Social Action Commission

 

Rev. Moya Harris

Director of Racial Justice

Sojourners

 

Rev. Dr. Jean Hawxhurst

Ecumenical Staff Officer

United Methodist Church

 

Rev. Carlos L. Malavé

President

Latino Christian National Network

 

Pastor Benjamin Shular

Chief of Staff

Church of God Ministries

 

Rev. Adam Russell Taylor

President

Sojourners

 

Metropolitan SABA

Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of North America

Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America

 

 

*Affiliation provided for identification purposes only

 

 

cc: Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken

 

* * *

 

—8/31/23

 

# # #

 

APPENDIX: LINKS TO REPORTS CITED IN LETTER

 

Report of Luis Moreno Ocampo (August 8, 2023):

https://apnews.com/article/armenia-azerbaijan-nagorno-karabakh-blockade-2a9fb9852534ab38656a99b435f0ba86#

 

UN Special Rapporteurs:

https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/08/un-experts-urge-azerbaijan-lift-lachin-corridor-blockade-and-end

 

Human Rights Watch:

https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/02/21/hardship-nagorno-karabakh-lifeline-road-remains-blocked

 

Amnesty International:

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/02/azerbaijan-blockade-of-lachin-corridor-putting-thousands-of-lives-in-peril-must-be-immediately-lifted/

 

Freedom House:

https://twitter.com/freedomhouse/status/1683880667283615744?s=46&t=r95dGcpLb6_jSFcd0A9RLA&fbclid=IwAR1Qi8XrgD9ARt8ToVBxKWvAVAKIV4fjiPyUNz9YGu1iaMvkzXpTvF04Dto

 

Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention:

https://www.lemkininstitute.com/statements-new-page/statement-on-azerbaijan-s-noncompliance-with-february-22nd-icj-order-to-unblock-lachin-corridor

 

National Council of Churches Statement (November 2020):

http://nationalcouncilofchurches.us/statement-in-support-of-armenia-and-armenian-church/

 

# # #


Greg Madatian: