Catholic Bishops of the EU and Archbishop Welby Call Attention to the Forced Expulsion of Over 100,000 Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh

On October 1st, in view of the dramatic situation in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), a day of prayer for Nagorno-Karabakh occurred, the church announced. This day of prayer took place throughout Armenia, but also in all other Armenian church communities worldwide.

Meanwhile, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said, according to international media reports, that he expected all 120,000 residents of Nagorno-Karabakh to leave the region. The danger of ethnic cleansing is simply too great. Thousands of refugees have already arrived in Armenia through the Lachin corridor, which is now open again.

The authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) had announced that they would provide fuel to all those who wanted to leave the country. According to the APA, numerous people could be seen loading their belongings onto buses and trucks in their capital Stepanakert. Men and women lined up to board buses to Armenia.
There was an explosion in a fuel depot near Stepanakert with hundreds of victims. The office of the human rights commissioner of the internationally unrecognized Republic of Artsakh said on Monday evening that at least 200 people were injured and an unknown number of dead. At the time of the accident, many people were queuing for gasoline because they wanted to flee to Armenia in their cars. It was initially unclear what triggered the catastrophe in the region inhabited by a majority of Armenians.

The region's human rights office appealed to the international community: It is urgently necessary to fly out people, especially seriously injured people, for treatment. "Nagorno-Karabakh's medical capacity is not sufficient to save people's lives," said the message on Twitter (X).
The Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury visited Armenia, the Catholic Bishops of Europe call for action to address the growing humanitarian emergency in the country.
“I come here to say you are not forgotten,” said the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, as he arrived in Armenia.
The Anglican Archbishop is on a two-day visit to the country, which has been hit by Azerbaijan’s recent annexation of the neighbouring enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Speaking to His Holiness Karekin II, the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Archbishop Welby said: “Armenia was the first Christian kingdom. You were the first region to have the cross as your symbol. This is a symbol of weight, pain and struggle.” “The last weeks have seen so many Armenians suffer deeply. I have been praying for you daily. I come here to say you are not forgotten.”
Archbishop Welby is in the region as part of a five-day “pilgrimage of listening”. Earlier this week, he visited Azerbaijan and Georgia, meeting with civil and religious leaders, including the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

STATEMENT of the Presidency of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences
Looking with concern at the humanitarian emergency taking place in Nagorno Karabakh, the Presidency of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences joins the Pope’s repeated calls for a negotiated solution in the region that has been at the centre of conflict for too long and asks the international community to alleviate the humanitarian emergency of the hundreds of thousands of displaced.
According to the latest figures, there are about 100,000 ethnic Armenians who have fled Nagorno Karabakh. The region, which is controlled by Azerbaijan, but has a high Armenian population, has been the subject of an international dispute for some 30 years. This is also endangering the Christian heritage of the region. After the 2020 conflict, which had led to a painful peace for Armenia with the loss of control of the territories of some historic monasteries, for months the Lachin corridor, the only access route between the Nagorno Karabakh capital Stepanakert and the Armenian capital Yerevan, was blocked by activists, creating a first humanitarian crisis.
In recent weeks, Azerbaijan launched an ‘anti-terrorist operation’ in the region which caused an exodus of all ethnic Armenians. Over 100,000 have left the ancient land of Artsakh.
The bishops of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences look on this humanitarian tragedy with great concern. Together with Pope Francis, they appeal “for dialogue between Azerbaijan and Armenia, hoping that the talks between the parties, with the support of the international community, will favour a lasting agreement that will put an end to the humanitarian crisis”.
At the same time, the CCEE calls for a monitoring of the Christian heritage in Nagorno Karabakh. According to a European Parliament resolution from 10 March 2022, there are 1456 Armenian monuments that came under Azerbaijan’s control after the ceasefire in 2020 and were already damaged during the war. It also hopes that the international bodies will find a negotiated solution that guarantees the safety of the displaced and their right to return to the lands where they grew up with their traditions; that the international resolutions that called for free access to the Lachin corridor will be respected; that the humanitarian emergency will be resolved with solutions that put the human person, and not political interests, at the centre of decisions.
Saint Gallen, 5 October 2023
Source: https://www.ccee.eu/nagorno-karabakh-the-ccee-appeal-to-overcome-the-humanitarian-emergency/?lang=en