SW News:

The European Churches have called for reopening the Lachin Corridor in the contested Armenian enclave of Nagorno Karabakh in Azerbaijan. They have asked to lift the ongoing blockade in the Southern Caucasus region leaving 120,000 Christian Armenians in peril. The Lachin Corridor connects the Republic of Armenia with the Armenian enclave, popularly known as Artsakh among Armenians.

The movement of persons, vehicles, and goods has been obstructed by Azerbaijan since 12 December 2022, notwithstanding the trilateral ceasefire agreement between Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia that was mediated by Russia in November 2020. As many as 120,000 ethnic Armenians who reside there are negatively impacted by the almost seven-month blockade, including 30,000 children. The residents of the enclave are going without food, medicine, electricity, and fuel.

Raphael Bedros XXI Minassian, the patriarch of Armenia's Cilicia, declared in a letter to the Sir news agency, "This is a crime against humanity." The Patriarch condemned the situation, saying, "There are kids, old people, sick people, hungry people, and in this desperate situation nobody is doing anything."

Both the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Conference of European Churches (CEC) have stressed the need for prompt action by the international community in response to the humanitarian crisis in Upper Karabakh.

In a joint letter sent to the European Union last week, they stated that the humanitarian crisis in the blockaded enclave of Upper-Karabakh (Artsakh) is escalating into tragic levels of experiences with the prolonged deprivations and sufferings of civilians.

The letter states that their basic human rights are increasingly being violated every day. To save the lives of the residents of Artsakh and to restore and respect their fundamental rights and freedoms, the WCC and the CEC, therefore, implore the European Union and the entire international community to step up immediately their efforts and act without delay to bring the blockade to an end.

The letter also stresses the critical requirement for a sustained dialogue between Baku and the secessionist Republic of Artsakh if Armenia and Azerbaijan are to normalize their relations following years of hostility.

“We affirm our steadfast belief that only true commitment from all parties involved in negotiations, who take seriously the complete observance of all human rights and the fundamental freedom of all people based on mutual respect, might lead to a durable peace,” the letter stated.