I Am Disappointed with the International Community's Response: The Primate of Artsakh’s Diocese Presents the Situation in Artsakh

The delegation of the World Council of Churches (WCC) is currently in Armenia at the invitation of the Armenian WCC Round Table Foundation. They met with His Grace Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan, the Primate of the Diocese of Artsakh, at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

According to information from the Armenian WCC Round Table Foundation’s office, the organization’s representatives are in Armenia as part of the "Pilgrimage for Justice and Peace" mission. The delegation included WCC representatives Susan Darber from the UK, Cornelia Fuehlkrug-Weitzel from Germany, Karla Khizoyan from Switzerland, and Ani Ghazaryan-Dris from Switzerland. Also attending the meeting was Father Shahe Vardapet Ananov, the director of the inter-church relations department of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

At the beginning of the meeting, Karen Nazaryan, the executive director of the Armenian WCC Round Table Foundation, presented the background of the Artsakh issue and the current situation.

Bishop Vrtanes outlined the humanitarian catastrophic consequences of the 44-day war in 2020, the current situation in Artsakh, and the war crimes committed by Azerbaijan, including the destruction of cultural and religious monuments during the war. It was noted that the delegation was particularly interested in the current socio-psychological condition of the population of Artsakh.

The bishop informed that they are actively working with children, young people, and women who have lost loved ones to overcome the consequences of the war. He revealed that there is a special rehabilitation program for women who have lost family members. Furthermore, he expressed his disappointment as a cleric with the response of the international community to the Artsakh conflict, contrasting it with the current coverage of the crisis in Ukraine and the responses to it.

He also mentioned that the Russian peacekeeping forces deployed in Artsakh are carrying out their mission with dignity.

The members of the delegation shared that the purpose of their pilgrimage is to familiarize themselves with the pains and concerns of Christian believers in churches and communities. They stated that they are visiting places where residents have suffered pain and anguish. The information gathered will be presented to the WCC Central Committee, which will be used to prepare a relevant report for the forthcoming assembly in November.

The WCC assembly is held once every seven years. Similar pilgrimages have been undertaken by various groups across different continents.

At the end of the day, the WCC delegation also met with employees of the Armenian WCC Round Table Foundation to learn about program directions and the history of its activities over the past 25 years. As part of the scheduled visit until June 1, delegation members will also meet with His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians. They plan to visit Masis and Ijevan to learn about the programs of the Armenian WCC Round Table Foundation, and in Yerevan, they will meet with families displaced from Artsakh. The delegation will also visit the Armenian Genocide Memorial and participate in a Divine Liturgy at the St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Yerevan.