Swiss National Councillor Erich Vontobel addresses an audience at the U.S. Capitol. Media Release WASHINGTON DC – “Does the U.S. believe that a favorable and lasting peace in the South Caucasus – a region of growing geopolitical and economic significance – can be built on the basis of ethno-religious cleansing?” Dr. John Eibner, the president… Read more »
Category: Armenia-Nagorno Karabakh
UK voices back Swiss Peace Initiative for Nagorno Karabakh
The UK House of Commons. Support for the Swiss Peace Initiative for Nagorno Karabakh is growing in the UK. On June 18, the Chair and Vice Chair of the UK’s parliament’s All-Party Parliamentary Group on International Freedom of Religion or Belief (APPG FoRB) issued a statement in support of the Swiss Peace Initiative, an… Read more »
July 8 Live Stream Link for Capitol Hill Briefing on Armenian Christians
On July 8, Christian Solidarity International’s President Dr. John Eibner will join two Swiss members of parliament and ex-Armenian Foreign Minister in Washington DC to present the Swiss Peace Initiative for Nagorno Karabakh. The delegation will be presented on Capitol Hill, from 3:00-4:00 pm in Room 2044 of the Rayburn House Office Building. Nagorno Karabakh… Read more »
Erich Vontobel: From promise to peace forum – Switzerland’s commitment to Nagorno Karabakh
Erich Vontobel stands with the flag of Artsakh in front of the Swiss parliament on March 18, 2025. The Swiss Peace Initiative for Nagorno Karabakh is a parliamentary-backed diplomatic effort to facilitate dialogue between Azerbaijan and representatives of the displaced Armenian population. It seeks to convene an international peace forum under Swiss mediation to… Read more »
Azerbaijan shows “flagrant disregard” for international law, CSI tells UN
CSI made a statement on the displaced ethnic Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. un web tv Media Release GENEVA – In the nearly 22 months since Azerbaijan expelled 120,000 ethnic Armenians from their homeland in Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan has exhibited “flagrant disregard” for international law and the Convention… Read more »
CSI backs Swiss Peace Initiative for Nagorno Karabakh in DC
The Swiss Peace Initiative will be presented on July 8 in Washington DC. Architect of the Capitol, Wikimedia Media Release Next week, CSI’s President John Eibner will join two Swiss members of parliament – Erich Vontobel and Lukas Reimann – and ex-Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian in Washington DC to present the Swiss Peace Initiative… Read more »
Macron signals French support for coercion against the Armenian Apostolic Church
French President Macron expressed support for Armenian Premier Pashinyan. www.primeminister.am CSI statement CSI calls for release of imprisoned archbishops and respect for separation of church and state On June 29 French President Emmanuel Macron assured Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of his “solidarity” as he intensifies a wave of arrests and other coercive measures against the… Read more »
Commentary: Ethnic cleansing – and Switzerland looks the other way
Swiss parliamentarians express support for Nagorno Karabakh during Azerbaijan’s blockade, February 27, 2023. csi Erich Vontobel and Stefan Müller-Altermatt In this piece, first published in the Tages Anzeiger, Swiss MPs Erich Vontobel and Stefan Müller-Altermatt react to the Swiss Federal Council’s claim that it cannot fulfill its obligation to hold a peace forum for… Read more »
Podcast: What is next for Nagorno Karabakh?
The Christian Solidarity Podcast: Understanding the conflict in the Caucasus In this pilot episode of the Christian Solidarity Podcast, host Abi McDougal talks with CSI’s director of advocacy, Dr. Joel Veldkamp, about Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing of Armenian Christians from Nagorno Karabakh. They explore the historical context of the conflict, the implications of the Swiss… Read more »
Swiss government fails to act on “Nagorno Karabakh peace forum”
Swiss Parliamentarian Erich Vontobel (left) and Sarkis Shahinian (Secretary General of the Parliamentary Friendship Group Switzerland-Armenia) at the founding meeting of the Committee “Swiss Peace Initiative for Nagorno-Karabakh.” Photo: CSI Media release CSI supports the Swiss sponsored peace negotiations between the Azerbaijani Government and representatives of the forcibly displaced Armenian Christian population of Nagorno… Read more »