ArmInfo.Christian human rights activists called on the Trump administration to impose sanctions on Turkey in response to its actions in the Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict and warned that the actions of the Turks were guided by hostility towards Christians, Catholic News Agency reported.
The calls, according to the source, were made during a panel discussion organized by a group in defense of Christians entitled "Turkey is committing another Christian genocide. Why is the Trump administration silent? The event was dedicated to the actions of Turkey in the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The discussions were attended by President of the organization "In Defense of Christians" Tufik Baaklini, Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of America Aram Amparyan, Permanent Representative of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic in the United States Robert Avetisyan, Michael Rubin from the American Institute of Entrepreneurship, Rich Ghazal from the organization "In Defense of Christians", and Andy Zemenides of the Greek American Council of Leaders. Turkey, Baaklini said, is a dangerous player and "we expect the Trump administration to take action." He noted that the current policy towards Turkey is not working and that President Trump and Congress must impose harsh sanctions on Turkey in light of their hostility towards Christians. Some panellists called for the imposition of sanctions in connection with Turkey's violation of international agreements. In October 2019, Ghazal explained, the sanctions were lifted after Turkey agreed to a ceasefire in northeastern Syria. However, since then Turkey has violated this ceasefire agreement more than 800 times, "Ghazal said.
On October 8, militants fired at the Cathedral of the Armenian Apostolic Church on the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, destroying part of the roof and damaging the walls of the Cathedral in Shusha. The Armenians stated that the Azerbaijani forces, supported by Turkey, were behind the attack. The attack on the cathedral drew condemnation from Christian leaders and advocates of religious freedom. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom said last week that it was alarmed to learn of the destruction inflicted on the cathedral and called for the protection of places of worship and religious sites. Avetisyan said the current conflict is unprecedented and that mercenaries hired by Turkey are behind much of the violence. "We need the world to speak out," said Avetisyan. He called for the recognition of Artsakh, which is currently not recognized by any UN member state, saying that this will be a signal for Azerbaijan. In turn, Zemenides stated that the existence of Artsakh is an inconvenience for Turkey, and noted that now he lives in the country less than 2,000 Greek Orthodox Christians, and called his treatment of Christian minorities a stain for all Western countries that remain silent in defense of Christians.
Rubin classified President Donald Trump's relationship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as "completely bizarre" and called for further action. According to him, Congress should be more assertive when it comes to Turkey, and this applies to both political parties. According to him, the United States "must take measures in the form of tough, drastic sanctions and an end to military assistance."