Swiss Peace Initiative for Nagorno Karabakh to launch in Bern

CSI welcomes formation of committee by members of Swiss parliament in support of a peace forum to negotiate the safe return of Armenians to their homeland

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, May 20, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- On May 26, a cross-party committee of nineteen parliamentarians in support of the Swiss Peace Initiative for Nagorno Karabakh will be launched in Bern.

The Initiative is being launched to support Switzerland’s commitment to “facilitate an open dialogue between Azerbaijan and representatives of the Nagorno-Karabakh Armenian people, conducted under international supervision or in the presence of internationally relevant actors, to negotiate the safe and collective return of the historically resident Armenian population.”

Nagorno Karabakh’s population of 120,000 Armenian Christians was forced to flee the region in the wake of Azerbaijan’s invasion in September 2023. The exodus was the latest twist in a decades-long struggle over the territory, historically inhabited by Armenians, but claimed by Azerbaijan.

“The conflict between Azerbaijan and the now expelled population of Nagorno Karabakh threatens regional security, obstructs Eurasian economic development and takes a terrible toll on human rights and dignity,” commented Dr. John Eibner, the president of Christian Solidarity International.

“CSI applauds the formation of this committee. It reflects the will of Switzerland to adhere to its tradition of neutrality, humanitarianism and conflict resolution and to generate domestic and international support for the rights of the people of Nagorno Karabakh.”

The inaugural event of the committee - to which the media are cordially invited - will take place on May 26 at the Hotel Kreuz in Bern. The committee, which has broad cross-party support, is led by National Councillor Erich Vontobel (EDU, Zurich) and National Councillor Stefan Müller-Altermatt (The Center Party, Solothurn).

The event will feature presentations from Vontobel and Müller-Altermatt, as well as Vartan Oskanian, the former foreign minister of Armenia and current Chairman of the Committee for the Defense of the Fundamental Rights of the People of Nagorno Karabakh, Vardan Tadevosyan, the Director of the Lady Cox Rehabilitation Centre (formerly in Nagorno Karabakh), Sarkis Shahinian, the Gen. Sec. of the Parliamentary Friendship Group Switzerland-Armenia, and Dr. Joel Veldkamp, CSI’s Director for Public Advocacy.

Afterwards, media representatives will have the opportunity to conduct interviews with the members of the Co-Chairs of the Committee and other expert speakers.

More information on the launch event:
- Date: Monday, May 26, 2025
- Time: 11.30 am - 12.30 pm. With aperitif & standing lunch.
- Venue: Hotel Kreuz, Zeughausgasse 41, 3011 Bern
Registrations to (limited number of places): info@csi-int.org
Further information on the event and the “Swiss Peace Initiative for Nagorno Karabakh” committee can be found at: www.swisspeacekarabakh.com

The members of parliament in the Swiss Peace Initiative for Nagorno Karabakh Committee are:
Co-Chair Erich Vontobel (NR, EDU), Co-Chair, Stefan Müller-Altermatt (NR, Mitte), Jean-Luc Addor (NR, SVP), Gerhard Andrey (NR, Grüne), Christine Badertscher (NR, Grüne), Marianne Binder-Keller (SR, Mitte), Thomas Burgherr, (NR, SVP), Laurence Fehlmann Rielle (NR, SP), Beat Flach (NR, GLP), Andy Gafner, (NR, EDU), Martin Haab (NR, SVP), Marc Jost, (NR, EVP), Fabian Molina (NR, SP), Lukas Reimann (NR, SVP), Priska Eiler Graf (NR, SP), Carlo Sommaruga (SR, SP), Jakob Stark (SR, SVP), Nicolas Walder (NR, Grüne), David Zuberbühler, (NR, SVP).

About CSI
Christian Solidarity International is an international human rights organization campaigning for religious liberty and human dignity.

Morven McLean
Christian Solidarity International
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