CNA Staff, Nov 11, 2020 / 16:00 pm
An ecumenical group of advocates for persecuted Christians is calling on the U.S. to condemn Turkey and Azerbaijan, amid a conflict over a disputed area in the Caucasus Mountains that has led to the deaths of over a thousand Armenians in recent months.
In a letter coordinated by the Philos Project, a group that advocates for religious pluralism in the Middle East, more than 40 signatories faulted Turkey for its "increasingly aggressive, anti-American foreign policy" and its support for apparent Azebaijani aggression against Armenians.
"Turkey and Azerbaijan, with a combined population of 100 million, are working with terrorist mercenaries to target Armenia, population 3 million...in a continuation of a century-long attempt to destroy a blockaded, landlocked, and partitioned state filled with descendants of genocide survivors," the letter reads.
"What is worse, they are using American-made fighter jets and U.S. taxpayer dollars to further their genocidal policies. Azerbaijan is even using cluster bombs to attack residential areas – a war crime documented by Amnesty International," it continues.
The signatories called on the United States to suspend all arms sales to Turkey and Azerbaijan until the conflict ceases. They also called on the U.S. to send aid to Armenia, and to initiate diplomatic efforts to resolve the region's disputed status.