Armenian Apostolic Holy Church The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

Following the applications of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; addressed to Ioan Sauca, Acting General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, and Jørgen Skoff Sørensen, General Secretary of the European Conference of Churches, on December 19, they sent a joint letter to Josep Borel, responsible for foreign policy and security affairs of the European Union, in which they condemn Azerbaijan's closing of the humanitarian corridor of Berdzor, as a result of which Artsakh was under siege.

"This is a violation of the tripartite agreement signed on November 9, 2020, which violates international humanitarian rights and moral principles," the statement stated in part.

The joint letter of the World Council of Churches and the European Conference of Churches states that by closing the humanitarian corridor, especially in winter and temporarily stopping the gas supply, Azerbaijan has intentionally created a humanitarian emergency for 120,000 ethnic Armenians.

"This is such an act that contradicts any claims of goodwill and humanitarian responsibility on the part of Azerbaijan," the letter stateds.

It is also noted that this country has not been held responsible for gross violations of human rights and crimes against Armenians by the armed forces of Azerbaijan.

"Under these conditions, the fears of the Armenian people that the Azerbaijani aggression is aimed at committing genocide against them is undeniable, which is even more emphasized in the context of the current realities," the letter says.

The EU is called upon to pursue all diplomatic initiatives so that Azerbaijan reopens the Berdzor humanitarian corridor and provides adequate guarantees to keep it open.

"We call to do everything possible to ensure the extension of the mandate of the EU observation mission on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, including the Lachin corridor, and to ensure independent monitoring," concludes the letter.