In September 2023, Azerbaijan expelled nearly 120,000 Christian Armenian civilians from their ancestral homeland of Nagorno Karabakh. One of the two chambers of the Swiss parliament has now given its support to Switzerland hosting a peace forum to negotiate their return. Christian Solidarity International (CSI) welcomes this sign of solidarity with the displaced Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh.
Screenshots showing the vote in parliament. Erich Vontobel
On December 17, Switzerland’s National Council – the larger chamber of parliament – adopted a motion calling on the Swiss government to organize “in the near future” an international peace forum to negotiate the return of the displaced Karabakh Armenians to Nagorno Karabakh. The vote comes 15 months after the dictatorship of Azerbaijan launched an armed attack on the territory of Nagorno Karabakh, driving out the Armenian population of nearly 120,000.
The National Council believes that hosting such a peace forum is in keeping with Switzerland’s humanitarian tradition and neutrality.
National Councillor Erich Vontobel, one of the two co-sponsors of the motion, sees the planned peace forum as an opportunity for Switzerland. “The refugees from Nagorno Karabakh feel abandoned and need our solidarity. Switzerland’s good offices are called for here,” the parliamentarian commented. He added, “The chances of this forum becoming a reality have increased today.”
The motion needs the approval of the smaller parliamentary chamber, the Council of States, to be implemented.
With 96 votes for, 80 against and 16 abstentions, the motion put forward by the foreign affairs committee of the National Council had the support of parties across the political spectrum. CSI takes this as an indication that parliamentarians understood that the issue at stake was one of fundamental human rights.
“The National Council’s decision is a further step in the continuing friendship between Switzerland and the Armenian people,” said Nicolas Walder, the second co-sponsor. “We must now create the conditions for the swift return home of the Karabakh Armenians. As the guardian of international humanitarian law, Switzerland can play a central role in this.”
Swiss President Viola Amherd had earlier made clear her support for the return of the displaced Karabakh Armenians. In an exchange of letters with CSI on November 28, she wrote: “With regard to the approximately 100,000 people who had to flee to Armenia, Switzerland has called for every effort to be made to ensure that they can return home safely, if they so wish, and to safeguard their rights in accordance with international law.”
So far, Azerbaijan has shown no willingness to cooperate, despite an order from the International Court of Justice on November 17, 2023, that Azerbaijan must “ensure that persons who have left Nagorno-Karabakh after 19 September 2023 and who wish to return to Nagorno-Karabakh are able to do so in a safe, unimpeded and expeditious manner.”
The Swiss initiative is one of the most high-profile efforts in a Western state to hold Azerbaijan accountable for the ethnic cleansing of Nagorno Karabakh, and it comes at an important time.
“The danger of an escalation of the conflict and further expulsions of Armenians remains high,” stresses Simon Brechbühl, Managing Director of CSI Switzerland. “However, the Yes vote sends a clear signal that Azerbaijan’s aggressive behaviour is not acceptable. CSI will continue to monitor the situation closely.”
The text of the motion (in French and German) is available on the Swiss parliament’s website.
