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Russian Orthodox Church consistently stands for Karabakh conflict settlement

26 August 2016 12:08 (UTC +04:00)

Moscow. Farid Akbarov – APA. The Russian Orthodox Church invariably and consistently stands for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the search for mutually acceptable solutions for existing controversies within the framework of the law, said the Church in a letter addressed to Azerbaijan’s embassy in Russia as a response to the embassy’s request related to the final declaration of the 23rd annual conference of the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy.

The letter says that since 1993, with the mediation of Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia a series of meetings of religious leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan were held, where participants have repeatedly stated that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is devoid of religious ground; it has a political nature and the incitement of ethnic hatred is a sin from the Christian and Islamic point of view, the Azerbaijani embassy told Trend Aug. 26.

It was also noted in the letter that Patriarch of Moscow today also supports the same positions and makes efforts for the conflict’s peaceful and fair solution. The Azerbaijani side’s concern will also be brought to the attention of leadership of the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy, said the letter.

The final declaration of the 23rd annual conference of the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy held in Greece July 4-8 contains accusations against Azerbaijan for the clashes of April 2016 in Nagorno-Karabakh and along the contact line of Armenian and Azerbaijani troops.

According to the declaration, on the night of 1 to 2 April 2016, the Azerbaijani army launched a large-scale military operation.

“Application of a large number of heavy weapons and shelling of residential areas clearly indicate short-sighted efforts to resolve the issue [Karabakh conflict] by military means,” said the declaration. “We call on the OSCE Minsk Group and international organizations to influence on the current situation and use all the mechanisms and means in order to avoid a further escalation and prevent the steps destabilizing the region.”