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Swiss Churches on the conflict Armenia – Azerbaijan: “Swiss foreign policy is called upon!”

Updated: Jan 13

By Werner Thut


A voice on a conflict that receives little attention: The Justice and Peace Commission Switzerland of the Catholic Church calls upon the Swiss government to work more decisively for a peaceful solution to the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan and to help ensure that the situation does not lead to a further military conflict.


Notably, the call for action states that the Swiss Government and the Parliament shall:


  • insist on the implementation of all relevant decisions and recommendations of the International Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights related to the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan;


  • work to ensure that all prisoners of war and hostages who are being arbitrarily detained by the Azerbaijani armed forces and are unlawfully held in Azerbaijani custody are released;


  • exert pressure on the sides and especially on Azerbaijan to resolve all outstanding issues exclusively through negotiations and peaceful means in full respect of each country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as international law, including refrain from use of violence and the threat to use violence;


  • work to ensure that Azerbaijan refrains from discriminating hate speech and continued inflammatory statements degrading the Armenian ethnicity and questioning the territorial integrity of Armenia;


  • provide the approximately 150,000 refugees and internally displaced persons in Armenia with integration and economic start-up assistance in line with Switzerland's humanitarian tradition and financial possibilities;


  • pursue the goal of safe, dignified, voluntary, and sustainable return of all displaced Armenians to their homeland Nagorno-Karabakh and contribute to their peaceful, free from fear, intimidation and discrimination life in their homeland;


  • actively contribute to an UNESCO-led mission of independent international and local experts gaining access to Nagorno-Karabakh to document the state of the ancient sites of Christian faith and ensure their preservation;


  • respond to any further violations on the part of Azerbaijan that disregard Armenia's claims to territorial integrity under international law, the internationally required renunciation of armed force and the protection of minorities with the strictest possible legal, economic and political means, including targeted sanctions against the individuals responsible.


The process was inspired by a non-governmental in-depth analysis of Armenia’s path towards Europe since 2020, based in an overview of key developments 2020-2024.


The position of the Swiss branch is echoed by an open letter of Justice and Peace Europe, a network of more than 30 national commissions across the continent, which is addressing the lead candidates for European Parliament elections.


The declaration of the Commission of the Swiss Catholic Church is also fully supported by the Council of the Swiss Protestant Reformed Church.


Does this appeal point to a broader solidarity and pave the way for a substantial engagement of the Swiss churches to their brothers and sisters in Armenia? And will it lead to relevant Swiss actors giving this conflict a higher priority and taking active positions and additional measures at international level?


Caption of photo: Forced displacement of Nagorno-Karabakh population in September 2023


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