Armenian Apostolic Holy Church The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

On October 13, the meeting of the religious leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia was held at the St. Daniel Monastery in Moscow (Russian Federation), mediated by His Holiness Kirill I, Patriarch of Moscow and All  of Russia. Since 1988, this is the 17th meeting in this format for the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The meeting was opened with the welcoming remarks of His Holiness Kirill I; “Your Holiness, beloved brother Sheikh-ul-Islam, honorable members of the delegation. I am glad to welcome you again in Moscow.

We have gathered today to discuss the issue of overcoming the consequences of the long-standing conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, in which the peoples of Azerbaijan and Armenia are involved. For nearly 30 years, we - as spiritual leaders, have been working to alleviate this tragic conflict. We are called by God to preach love and mercy, even when it seems difficult to accomplish.

I am grateful to the Pontiff of All Armenians and Sheikh-ul-Islam for their readiness to visit Moscow and to come to negotiations, with the spirit of our tradition. This fact testifies to the truly peaceful potential of our religions.

It is well known that the sphere of religious life is a most sensitive and personal one. Unfortunately, there are people who justify violence, cruelty and bloodshed by religion. Accordingly, we are called to respond, jointly and unequivocally, to the attempts to link religion and war. Religious wars are the most horrible, sinful pages in the religious history of mankind. In this century, I think we must do everything so that the concepts of "religion" and "war" do not become one.

We are responsible for the future generation. If today we silently follow how alienation, mutual demands and even hatred are strengthening in the youth, then tomorrow, those weeds will start to take root and grow, which then, will be very difficult to eradicate. They will turn into powerful plants that can both destroy the fertility of the spiritual ground and damage the environment. First of all, I mean the person's spiritual life.

I hope, that with you, we will find the words that our peoples need the most. I believe that the reputation of the spiritual leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia can have a beneficial effect on the minds of the people. I believe that the fact of today's meeting and the dialogue between You, beloved brothers, will serve as an example for all. May God Bless our work, and help us find mutual understanding, which will undoubtedly contribute to the achievement of permanent peace on the Ancient Caucasian land, native to the both of You”.

His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, addressing his remarks to His Holiness Kirill I, Patriarch of Moscow and All of Russia; and Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade, Grand Mufti of the Muslims of the Caucasus; stated in part; “Not since 2017 have we had the opportunity to meet in this format as spiritual leaders, to discuss not only the problems caused by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in the lives of our peoples, but also ways to overcome those problems: to defuse the atmosphere and stabilize the region for the sake of establishing peace and security. In this regard, we express our gratitude to our beloved brother, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, for organizing this meeting.

Our meeting takes place at a time when our region is again very tense. On September 27 of last year, with the open support of Turkey and the involvement of international terrorist groups, Azerbaijan unleashed large-scale hostilities against the people of Artsakh, which created a catastrophic situation in the entire region and had tragic consequences for our peoples. In heavy battle, due to 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 40 000 Artsakh citizens were evacuated and left homeless. In Artsakh, residential buildings, hospitals, maternity hospitals, churches, cultural centers, and historical monuments were deliberately bombed.

The bloody, catastrophic aggression of Azerbaijan was stopped only thanks to the personal efforts of the President of the Russian Federation, the esteemed Mr. Vladimir Putin, to whom we again express our gratitude on behalf of the Armenian Church and people, as well as for the special attention he has shown in the preservation of the Armenian spiritual heritage in the territories now controlled by Azerbaijan.

Your Holiness [Patriarch Kirill], we would like to express our deep gratitude for your sincere intercession and for your peace-loving efforts during the 44 days of hostilities, in the cause of avoiding their tragic consequences. Your contribution to the maintenance of religious life at the historic 4th-century Armenian Monastery Dadivank, on territory that came under the control of Azerbaijan, is extremely important.

As a result of the statement on 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 a safe life for our people of Artsakh, and for the sustainable implementation of the mission of the Artsakh Diocese.

There is no alternative to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, in terms of establishing stability and peace, and securing safe, serene life in the region. However, despite the readiness of the Armenian side to finally resolve the issues in accordance with all the peacekeeping efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group, the situation in the region remains alarming and tense because of the degrading and unacceptable militant rhetoric, the unconstructive policy of ultimatums, of the Azerbaijani authorities.

The question therefore, is: How can the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict be settled, and peace be established;

 While Azerbaijan continues to be guided by the principle of the use of force and expansionist aspirations in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict;
 While the status of Nagorno-Karabakh has still not been clarified, and the realization of the right of the people of Artsakh to an independent life has not been guaranteed. State anti-Armenian propaganda, violence and killings of civilians, the so-called “Spoils of War” Park in Baku, are evidence that the people of Nagorno-Karabakh will never be able to live and exist safely within Azerbaijan;
While 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, Armenian prisoners in captivity are regularly subjected to humiliation and torture, and in some cases are tortured to death;
While the fate of many victims of enforced disappearances remains unknown;
While Azerbaijan will not cease its encroachments on the state border of the Republic of Armenia, nor will retreat from the occupied territories;
While respect for international legislation does not show due regard to the worldwide Armenian historical and cultural heritage, where our shrines are destroyed and desecrated, where history is falsified, where Armenian monasteries and churches are deprived of their identity, where despite their legal belonging to the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Church our children are denied the right to visit their shrines?
The Armenian people at all times have valued peace, and striven for peaceful coexistence with neighboring peoples. They have always respected the religious freedom and cultural identity of others. The peaceful aspirations of our people are built on the conviction that there are no winners in wars, everyone is defeated, for there can be no victory where human tragedy prevails. Holy Scripture, the authority of which is not disputed by the followers of Islam, inspires humanity with a vision: “Peace on earth, among men of goodwill” (Luke 2:14).
 Islam’s own Holy Book, the Koran, likewise gives instruction about tolerance in differences, peaceful coexistence, and the promotion of the common good, noting: “To each of you we have ordained a code of law and a way of life. If God had willed, he would have made you one community, but his will is to test you with what he has given each of you. So compete with one another in doing good” (Surah Al-Ma’idah 5:48).

In this spirit, given the interconnected reality of the 21st century, all problems between nations should be resolved only by peaceful means, with justice and respect for the rule of law.

War is no way to solve the problems; and this war did not actually lead to a solution of problems, but only gave rise to new tragedies, and caused new problems. It is impossible to create peace by military means, at gunpoint; it is impossible to achieve solidarity and cooperation by manipulating the factor of prisoners of war; it is impossible to open pathways of communication by sowing hatred of Armenians and leveling threats at the state level.

Despite the difficulties of the current situation, we continue to hope that we will be able to overcome the challenges we face, with the support of friendly peace-loving countries, and concerned international 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.

Today, our prayerful efforts as spiritual leaders should aim at 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.

Thank you again, Your Holiness [Patriarch Kirill], for your efforts in the cause of peace, and for this meeting.

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 and for the restoration of a safe, tranquil, and productive life in our region. May the Lord Bless all the ways of the world, and guide our people with his wisdom.

In the conclusion of the meeting, Patriarch Kirill issued a statement on the results of the discussions:

“We have just concluded a trilateral meeting of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia, which is a continuation of a more than 30-year-old tradition of peace talks mediated by the Russian Orthodox Church.

I thank His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians; and Sheikh ul-Islam Allah Shukur Pashazade, for their willingness to meet with us to discuss face-to-face the important issues of concern to our two fraternal peoples and religious communities.

We are convinced that our religions have a unique potential for peace, especially for a delicate, sensitive area such as ethnicity. No matter how difficult Armenian-Azerbaijani relations are at this stage, we believe that faith in God and love can help heal wounds which arose during many years of tragic conflict. It is a very difficult road. Careful wisdom and foresight are required. The Caucasus has always been rich in diversity of peoples, languages, and cultures.

For the Azerbaijani and Armenian peoples, there is no future other than co-existence. It is especially important today to restore people’s trust in each other. Learn to accept the neighbor again with respect and willingness to help each other. The guarantee of such an attitude is respect for the care of shrines, historical monuments, graves, people of different religions, and a dignified attitude towards the memory of the dead. Spiritual leaders are called upon to use their authority to create and maintain an atmosphere of good neighborly relations between peoples and religions.

We call for the clarification on the fate of the missing, to facilitate the release of prisoners of war, and to prevent the use of prohibited weapons, which pose a threat to the lives of civilians.

In the near future, it is necessary to avoid hate speech in any form, to refrain from belligerent calls in the conflict zone. We call on the youth not to give in to aggression or radicalism, and first of all to seek peace. Spiritual leaders are ready to be useful in reconciling the peoples of Azerbaijan and Armenia for the sake of present and future generations. The Russian Orthodox Church is praying for the reconciliation of its two friendly peoples, and from now on, it is ready to support a lasting, just and stable peace in the South Caucasus”.