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 American ecumenical groups such as the 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
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
* * *
APPENDIX: Hyperlinks to Reports Referenced in the 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/
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/
# # #