Resolution MB 010

Resolved, that The Executive Council of The Episcopal Church, meeting virtually October 24-27, 2023, expresses its grave concern over the dissolution (in January, 2024) of the region historically known as Artsakh, a homeland to ethnic Armenians also referred to as Nagorno-Karabakh, through a unilateral declaration of the government of Azerbaijan, a move that has placed in jeopardy the homes, livelihoods, indeed the very lives of Armenians who have called Artsakh home for generations upon generations, and be it further

Resolved, that this Council decries in the strongest terms the humanitarian crisis engendered by the illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor (from December, 2022, to September, 2023), preventing 120,000 native Armenians from receiving goods, medicine and other essentials; the arrest and disappearance of Armenian government officials; the reported destruction of historic Armenian landmarks, churches and monasteries; the reported atrocities committed upon Armenian people, including the death of civilians, as well as the forceful removal of Armenians from their communities and homes in Artsakh, and be it further

Resolved, That the Executive Council calls upon the offices of Episcopal Migration Ministries and Global Partnerships to commit resources for the support of displaced Armenians and the education of the wider Episcopal Church to their plight, and be it further

Resolved, That the Office of Government Relations lobby Congress for, and The Episcopal Church representative to the United Nations support, coordinated humanitarian relief operations, including a comprehensive humanitarian needs assessment, to allow unimpeded access to Nagorno- Karabakh and the Lachin Corridor under a United Nations mandate to ensure that humanitarian aid organizations can deliver aid swiftly and effectively.