Together with the World Council of Churches (WCC) the Conference of European Churches (CEC) shares “deep concern about the violations of the humanitarian ceasefire agreed between Armenia and Azerbaijan.”
CEC has endorsed a WCC statement issued on 12 October that strongly urges “all parties to the conflict to end all military actions immediately, to respect the ceasefire agreement reached in Moscow, and to engage in constructive dialogue aimed at protecting human lives and rights, preventing attacks on civilian infrastructure and places of worship, and achieving a sustainable peace.”
CEC President Rev. Christian Krieger further stressed the need for reconciliation between all parties. He said, “Nothing can justify an attack on churches and the civilian casualties. Attacks on religious heritage hurt religious sentiment and may add a religious dimension to an otherwise complex conflict.”
CEC has been engaging in advocacy work with international organisations, calling on OSCE Minsk Group and the European External Action Service (EEAS) to increase their efforts in searching for a durable peaceful solution in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
CEC general secretary Dr Jørgen Skov Sørensen in his letters to EEAS and OSCE, stressed the need forthe “inclusion of religious leaders in the negotiation process from both sides to help the reconciliation process between the two neighbours.”