WCC NEWS: Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia urges peaceful resolution of Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. Photo: Oleg Varov/Russian Orthodox
Church

In a 23 July statement, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia urged a peace resolution to the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, calling on both sides to enter into dialogue.

“The religious communities of Armenia and Azerbaijan have experience of building up such dialogue, which is much needed now,” the statement reads. “My appeal is to stand up against those forces that benefit from the increasing tension in the Caucasus.”

Patriarch Kirill notes that a new war in the Caucasus will inevitably attract different kinds of terrorists and extremists who will deprive the region of peace and tranquility for a long time.

“The Russian Orthodox Church is ardently praying for the soonest cessation of the conflict,” the statement reads. “We hope that the peoples of Armenia and Azerbaijan, fraternal to us, will find strength and wisdom to put an end to the enmity, to de-escalate the distrust and to achieve mutually acceptable solutions to the divisive problems.”

WCC calls for urgent de-escalation of confrontation on Azerbaijan-Armenia border (WCC press release 16 July 2020)

WCC executive committee addresses global concerns, sets vision for unity, justice and peace (WCC press release 24 July 2020)

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 350 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 550 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC interim general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, from the Orthodox Church in Romania.

Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press
Our visiting address is:
World Council of Churches
150 route de Ferney
Geneve 2 1211
Switzerland