To the various parishes of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Belgium

 

Very Rev. Father Zadik Avedikian

Very Rev. Father Maghakia Beskisizian

Rev. Father Armen Melkonian

 

 

                                                                                                                Brussels, 12 April 2023

 

Dear sisters and brothers,

 

Christ is risen!

 

May the peace of the Lord be with you.

 

Today, much of the world’s attention today is focussed on the war in Ukraine. Rightly so and very understandable. However, in all this turmoil we should not forget the many other situations in the world where people are suffering from war and injustice.

 

Some of the parishes of the United Protestant Church in Belgium are in contact with Armenian people who live in our country. Through them and also via bodies like the World Council of Churches and the Conference of European Churches, we receive news and information about the situation in your country which does not always catch the attention of the mainstream media. With this letter we would like to let you know that we take such information to heart.

 

At the occasion of the upcoming Armenian Genocide Day on 24 April, we are reminded of the approximately 1.5 million ethnic Armenians, almost all of them Christian, who perished along with many of their communities and church buildings between 1915 and 1923. This has caused immense suffering for your country, your people and your Church.

 

Although quite a few countries (including Belgium) and institutions have recognised the Armenian Genocide, there are still those who refuse to recognise the facts. This is very painful indeed given the enormous impact the genocide has had, and continues to have on the Armenian people.

Our Church firmly believes that there is a duty on the international community to recognise and remember the victims of genocide. This is an indispensable condition for trying to heal the historical wounds and to guard against similar atrocities in the future.

More recently, another calamity struck the Armenian people when the war in Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh broke out in 2020. During this 44-day war, almost 5.000 people lost their lives and some 100.000 people became refugees, fleeing from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia and elsewhere. 

To stop the violence, a tripartite agreement was signed by the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Russian Federation and the Prime Minister of Armenia later in 2020. Unfortunately, this did not end the hostilities.

 

At the moment, we are very concerned about the blockade, since 12 December 2022, of the Lachin corridor which is the only road which connects Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia. According to Amnesty International, the situation has left some 120.000 ethnic Armenian residents in Nagorno-Karabakh without access to essential goods and services, including life-saving medication and health care.  The blockade is creating a humanitarian crisis and has a particularly harsh impact on vulnerable people including women, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.

 

Our Church has taken good note of what His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians, has said when he called the blockade of the Armenian enclave “inhumane” and a blatant “provocation” conducted “under false pretences”.

 

In this context, we welcome the joint letter sent on 19 December last year by the World Council of Churches and the Conference of European Churches to the European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell denouncing the blockade en urging the European Union to pursue all possible diplomatic initiatives to ensure that Azerbaijan re-opens the Lachin Corridor and provides appropriate guarantees that it will remain open.

 

Dear sisters and brothers, we are painfully aware of the injustices which have been inflicted on Armenian people in the course of history and we pray: “never again!”.

 

We give thanks to the Triune God for your Church, for its witness to justice and peace, for its service to the Armenian people, at home and in the Diaspora, and for the wise and inspiring leadership of His Holiness Karekin II. You are a beacon of light in a dark world and a sign of hope where division and violence reign.

Our United Protestant Church in Belgium is very grateful for your presence in our country and with your distinct, authentic and enriching contribution to ecumenical life.

 

In the name of Christ, whose resurrection we celebrated just a few days ago, we fervently pray that peace with justice will be established in your beautiful homeland.

 

Yours in the risen Christ,

 

Rev. Steven H. Fuite