WCC NEWS: WCC, CEC letter to OSCE chairman urges avoiding further escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh

WCC NEWS: WCC, CEC letter to OSCE chairman urges avoiding further escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh

The latest escalation in conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia began on the night of 13/14 September, just days after the 11th Assembly of the World Council of Churches adopted a Minute on the consequences of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, drawing attention to several lingering and unresolved issues following that deadly and destructive war, and calling for “the start of meaningful dialogue for a just and peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in the framework of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group.”

The joint WCC-CEC letter notes that “this renewed armed violence risks further escalation and yet more death and destruction.” The letter observes that “credible reports and analysis suggest that Azerbaijan is seeking – through the renewal of hostilities while the international community is focused on the ongoing crisis in Ukraine – to force Armenia into accepting a settlement on its terms.,” and urges the OSCE “to do your utmost to avert any such cynical misuse of the current geopolitical situation, to avoid further escalation, and to promote more rapid and effective progress towards a just and sustainable peace in the region.”

Joint letter of the World Council of Churches and Conference of European Churches to OSCE in relation to escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh