(Westlake Village, CA) – Yesterday in Washington D.C., a delegation from the Swiss Peace Initiative for Nagorno Karabakh held a congressional briefing at the U.S. Capitol. Two members of the Swiss parliament as well as Dr. John Eibner, President of Christian Solidarity International (CSI), and Vartan Oskanian, the former foreign minister of Armenia, spoke about the opportunity for the United States to help establish lasting peace.

Two years ago, Azerbaijan blockaded Nagorno Karabakh for nine months before launching a military invasion of the region, leading to the forced exodus of its entire population – nearly 120,000 Armenian Christians.

“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. Eibner asked to a packed room in the Rayburn House Office Building on Tuesday. “If the answer is no, then the U.S. should provide support for Switzerland’s peace initiative.”

In March of this year, the Swiss parliament passed a motion to hold an international peace forum between Azerbaijan and the representatives of the displaced Armenians, to negotiate a framework for their safe return.

Erich Vontobel, a member of the Swiss parliament, who introduced the motion in the Swiss parliament last year, spoke of meeting refugees from Nagorno Karabakh in Armenia. “They said to me, please do something so that we can return,” he said. “One woman showed me a video of her house, now occupied by another family. That sight broke my heart. That’s when I knew I must act.”

Lukas Reimann, another member of the Swiss parliament, said that Azerbaijan’s “state-sponsored starvation and military violence reminiscent of the Armenian Genocide” had “caused great distress in Switzerland.” He pointed out that the Swiss Peace Initiative had received support from members of all 10 parties in the Swiss parliament – an unusually broad swath of support.

“We cannot accept and will not accept that these families cannot return to their home,” he said. “We will help them to get back there.”

Former Armenian foreign minister Vartan Oskanian pointed out that Nagorno Karabakh was “inhabited by Armenians for centuries, and in the past 30 years, Nagorno Karabakh Armenians had full self-rule and a democratic life on that territory.”

While Oskanian recognized that “the United States views Azerbaijan as a partner on many levels,” he said that “these geopolitical considerations do not justify silence on the expulsion of 150,000 people from their homes. This sends the wrong message and sets a very dangerous precedent.”

Vontobel noted that in the 2024 election campaign, “President Trump promised to end the ethnic cleansing of Christians” in Nagorno Karabakh. “He speaks to my heart. Our interests and values align. The Swiss Peace Initiative offers the U.S. a chance to support peace without taking on direct risk.”

“We in Switzerland can do it,” Vontobel concluded. “What we need now is broad international support – above all from the U.S. I therefore ask you to publicly endorse the Swiss Peace Initiative.”

The congressional briefing is part of a three-day visit by the delegation to policymakers in Washington, D.C. More information about the Swiss Peace Initiative is available at www.swisspeacekarabakh.com. A recording of the event is available to watch online.