WCC, CEC letter to OSCE chairman urges avoiding further escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh
In a letter to His Excellency Zbigniew Rau, OSCE chairman-in-office, and minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, World Council of Churches acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca and Dr Jørgen Skov Sørensen, general secretary of the Conference of European Churches, jointly appeal for urgent action by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to promote a just and sustainable peace in the Caucasus, following renewed violence in the region in which more than 100 lives have already been lost.
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.”
WCC releases minute on consequences of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war (WCC news, 08 September 2022)
This report was originally published on oikoumene.org (World Council of Churches) website.