Faith Leaders Urge President Biden to End Soft Genocide in Artsakh

The Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson, General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ, and the Rev. Terri Hord Owens, General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), joined National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA member communions and faith-based organization heads in appealing to President Joe Biden to end the soft genocide occurring among the people of Artsakh. A copy of the letter was sent to Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken. The letter can be seen below.

In addition to drawing attention to the ongoing and urgent tragedy, the letter’s authors made the following appeals to the US Administration:

• to seek an immediate end to the devastating Azerbaijani blockade of the Lachin Corridor, which is the only point of access to more than 120,000 Armenians who live there and whose families have resided there for centuries.
• to take urgent action to end the blockade of Artsakh, to provide the necessary humanitarian assistance that is needed to sustain life and to ensure that such supplies can be delivered, and to end the suffering of the people of Artsakh so that the soft genocide we are witnessing is averted. We also urge you to do all that you can to seek an immediate diplomatic solution – including working with international partners and the governments of Azerbaijan and Turkey – to find a resolution to this continuing political crisis and humanitarian disaster.