The US National Council of Churches issued a statement on Artsakh and Armenian prisoners of war, reaffirming the importance of the Artsakh peace process.
The statement particularly reads: “NCC calls for the United States to provide urgently needed humanitarian aid for the people of Artsakh who were forced to flee their homes during the unprovoked attack by Azerbaijan and Turkey that displaced more than 50,000 ethnic Armenians in the region. We plead for the United States to actively negotiate the safe return of Armenian soldiers and citizens who are being held in violation of the ceasefire agreement signed on November 9, 2020.
NCC applauds the letter signed by 101 Members of Congress that was sent to U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to stress the importance of addressing the “ongoing humanitarian crisis in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh).” We commend the strong bipartisan support of this letter toward insuring the well-being of the displaced Armenian people from Artsakh. The United States must address the immediate and significant problems of feeding, housing, and protecting these displaced families during the COVID-19 pandemic and insuring their long-term settlement into permanent residences.
We call on President Biden and the Secretary of State to take direct action and negotiate the release of all Armenian soldiers and civilians held by Azerbaijan. Even though the cease fire agreement mandated that Azerbaijan must free all Armenian prisoners of war and apprehended citizens, Azerbaijan has refused to abide by the agreement. An unknown number, believed to be over 200 Armenians, continue to be held captive. Many were captured after the military hostilities ended. Due to the release of videos, we fear the mistreatment and torture of those who are detained.”
The NCC shared their concern over the destruction of the churches and religious monuments during the conflict. It is noted that the Azerbaijani side has twice rejected the request of UNESCO to visit the religious monument sites.
The council also called on US President Joe Biden to support a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide.
