WCC NEWS: WCC, CEC letter to OSCE chairman urges avoiding further escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh

In a letter to H.E. 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. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 15 September 2022 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.” Joint letter of the World Council of Churches and Conference of European Churches to OSCE in relation to escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh WCC releases minute on consequences of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war (WCC news, 08 September 2022) See more

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 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC acting 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