Justice and Peace calls on Switzerland to commit to Armenia – Swiss Catholic Portal

After Azerbaijan’s expulsion of nearly 150,000 Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia is once again faced with threats from its neighbor, warns the National Justice and Peace Commission in a press release on May 8, 2024. Swiss authorities must take action to avoid a new conflict, she believes.

The Swiss National Justice and Peace Commission and the network of European Justice and Peace Commissions are observing with concern the current tensions in the South Caucasus. Armenia remains confronted with territorial claims from Azerbaijan. The latter seeks to secure a corridor to the south of Armenia, in order to obtain direct access to its enclave of Nakhitchevan.

As a member of the UN Human Rights Council, Switzerland must vigorously commit to ensuring respect for international law, believes Justice and Peace. “This membership implies political responsibility,” she says. “If Switzerland wants to live up to its own demands, its own interests and its more than century-old ties with the Armenian population, it must play a more committed role in foreign policy.”

A geopolitical question

A series of interviews and exchanges with NGOs, aid organizations and political experts on site allow Justice and Peace to affirm that “despite the substantial concessions made by Armenia within the framework of the peace negotiations In progress, Azerbaijan’s positions are hardening. The threat of new military violence looms,” warns the Commission.

She recalls that Azerbaijan is supported by Turkey, while Russia no longer assumes its alliance obligations towards Armenia. Justice and Peace believes that the smallest republic in the South Caucasus needs the support of the European Union, to which it has turned, as well as that of Switzerland.

The ethics of peace

Referring to international law and the principles of “ethics of peace”, Justice et Paix invites the Federal Council and Parliament, to the extent of their competence, to ensure the implementation of the decisions and recommendations of the Court International Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights relating to this conflict.

It also asks them to put pressure on both parties, “in particular on Azerbaijan”, so that they resolve their differences through negotiation and peaceful means, “with full respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of each country and international law”, and not by force or the threat of force. “Any discriminatory hate speech and inflammatory statements by Azerbaijan aimed at belittling the ethnic Armenian community” should be combatted by our authorities.

Watch over prisoners and displaced people

The Commission presents other possible fronts of commitment for peace for Switzerland: working for the release of prisoners of war and hostages held by the Azerbaijani authorities; provide assistance for the integration and economy of some 150,000 Armenian refugees and displaced persons; pursue the goal of a safe, voluntary and lasting return of all Armenians displaced from their native Nagorno-Karabakh; actively contribute to ensuring that a mission of independent international and local experts, led by UNESCO, has access to Nagorno-Karabakh in order to document the state of ancient sites of the Christian faith and ensure their conservation; address, through the strictest possible legal, economic and political means, including targeted sanctions against those responsible, possible further violations of international law by Azerbaijan. (cath.ch/com/lb)