Thursday, October 14 2021 09:41

ArmInfo. Our meeting is taking place at a time when the South Caucasus region is once again extremely tense.

This was stated by  Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos  of All Armenians Karekin II, addressing the Patriarch of Moscow and  All Russia Kirill and Chairman of the Caucasian Muslims Board  Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade at a tripartite meeting that  took place in the Patriarchal and Synodal residence in the Danilov  Monastery in Moscow on October 13by mediation of the Russian  spiritual leader. Since 1988, it was the 17th meeting in a similar  format in support of the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh  conflict.

As reported by the press office of the Mother See of Holy  Etchmiadzin, the Catholicos of All Armenians stated that since 2017  it has not been possible for a long time to meet in the format of  spiritual leaders, where not only the problems caused by the Karabakh  conflict in the life of our peoples were discussed, but also ways of  overcoming them, as well as the adoption of effective measures to  neutralize and stabilize the environment in order to establish peace  and security in the region.

At the same time, he drew attention to the fact that on September 27  last year, with the open support of Turkey and with the involvement  of international terrorist groups, Azerbaijan unleashed large-scale  hostilities against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, which created a  catastrophic situation in the entire region and had tragic  consequences for our peoples.

"In heavy fighting, as a result of the use of prohibited types of  cluster and phosphorus weapons by Azerbaijan, thousands of military  personnel, civilians, including women and children, were killed,  wounded and disabled, civilians were tortured, about 40 thousand  Karabakh residents were evacuated and left homeless. Residential  houses, hospitals, maternity hospitals, churches, cultural centers  and historical monuments were purposefully bombed in Karabakh.

The bloody, catastrophic aggression of Azerbaijan was stopped only  thanks to the personal consistent efforts of the President of the  Russian Federation, esteemed Mr. Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, to  whom we again express our gratitude on behalf of the Armenian Church  and our people, as well as for the special attention shown in the  preservation of the Armenian spiritual heritage in the territories  now controlled by Azerbaijan. Your Holiness, we would like to express  our deep gratitude for your sincere intercession and for the peaceful  efforts that you made during the 44-day hostilities, as well as in  the context of overcoming their tragic consequences. Your  contribution to the life of the Armenian historical monastery of the  4th century Dadivank, located today on the territory that has passed  under the control of Azerbaijan, is extremely important, "the  Catholicos emphasized.

In this vein, he added that the statement of November 9, 2020,  adopted by the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, the  deployment of Russian peacekeeping forces in Nagorno-Karabakh created  the preconditions for the restoration of the safe life of the people  of Karabakh and the sustainable implementation of the mission of the  Karabakh diocese.

"The peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict has no alternative  in terms of establishing stability and peace, guaranteeing a safe and  serene life in the region. However, despite the readiness of the  Armenian side to finally resolve the issues, despite all the applied  peacekeeping efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group co- chairing countries,  the situation in the region continues to remain alarming and tense,  especially because of the degrading and unacceptable militant  rhetoric, as well as the unconstructive and ultimatum policy of the  Azerbaijani authorities. 

Therefore, how to resolve the Karabakh conflict?

  - As long as Azerbaijan continues to be guided by the principle of  the use of force and expansionist aspirations in resolving the  Karabakh conflict;

- As long as  the status of Nagorno-Karabakh has not yet been  clarified and the realization of the right of the people of Karabakh to an independent life has not been guaranteed. State-level  anti-Armenian propaganda, violence and killings of civilians, the  so-called "Strategist Park" in Baku are evidence that the people of  Nagorno- Karabakh will never be able to live and exist safely within  Azerbaijan;

- As long as  all prisoners of war have not yet been released,  regardless of the status attributed to them by Azerbaijan, the true  number of which has not been disclosed. According to our information,  the Armenian captives are regularly subjected to humiliation and  torture, and in some cases they are also tortured to death;   - As long as  the fate of many victims of enforced disappearances is  unknown;

- As long as Azerbaijan has not stopped  its encroachments on the  state border of the Republic of Armenia and it will not withdraw from  the occupied  territories, " Karekin II asked.

According to the Catholicos, the Armenian people at all times  appreciated peace and strove for peaceful coexistence with  neighboring peoples, always respected the religious freedom and  cultural identity of others. The peaceful aspirations of our people  are based on the conviction that there are no winners in wars,  everyone is defeated, for there can be no victory where human tragedy  prevails. The Christian Bible, the devotion of which is not denied by  the believers of Islam, inspires mankind with a vision of "peace in  the land and solidarity among men" (cf. Luke 2:14).

The Holy Book of Islam - The Koran also gives people an instruction  about tolerance in differences, peaceful coexistence and the creation  of good, noting: "For each of you He have established a law and a  path. If Allah had willed, He would have made you one community, but  He divided you so test you with what He has bestowed upon you.   Compete in good works. "

It is in this spirit, in the interconnected reality of the 21st  century, that all problems between nations must be resolved. That is,  exclusively by peaceful means: justice, respect for the rule of law  and law. War is not a way to solve problems, and this war did not  actually lead to the solution of problems, but gave rise to new  tragedies and caused new problems. It is impossible to create in a  military way, at gunpoint, it is impossible to achieve solidarity and  cooperation by manipulating the prisoners of war factor. It is  impossible to sow hatred towards Armenians and threaten at the state  level to ensure the opening of transport communications.

Despite the current difficult situation, we continue to hope that we  will be able to overcome the challenges we face with the help of  friendly peace-loving countries, an alarmed international community  and a number of organizations. We also hope that in this difficult  situation the Azerbaijani authorities will abandon their expansionist  encroachments, which could lead the region to a new, wider war.

Our prayers and efforts as spiritual leaders today should pursue the  goal of creating an atmosphere of solidarity and mutual understanding  in order to ease tensions so that the Almighty will bless our lives  with His peace, mercy and abundant grace.

Venerable Sheikh-ul-Islam, we believe that our meeting will provide  results through your mediation before the authorities of Azerbaijan,  in particular, in resolving humanitarian issues, pressing spiritual  and religious problems, as well as establishing peace in the lives of  our peoples.

We pray for world peace, for the restoration of a safe, serene and  prosperous life and progress in our region.  May the Lord bless all  the ways of the world and with His wisdom directs our peoples ",  summed up Karekin II.