Standing-Room-Only Capitol Hill Briefing Expands U.S. Support for the Return of Armenian Christians to Artsakh
WASHINGTON, DC – A standing-room-only audience of over 200 Congressional staffers, human rights advocates, and policy professionals gathered on Capitol Hill for a Congressional briefing on the recently launched Swiss Peace Initiative for Nagorno-Karabakh – a global initiative to facilitate the collective, protected return of Artsakh’s (Nagorno Karabakh) forcibly displaced Armenian Christians to their ancestral homes, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
Swiss Parliamentarians Erich Vontobel (Federal Democratic Union) and Lukas Reimann (Swiss People’s Party), Christian Solidarity International (CSI) President Dr. John Eibner, and former Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian led the panel discussion, which was opened by Mark Milosch, Congressional Staff Director for Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), the Co-Chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. Following presentations by each of these four experts on the legal, diplomatic, and humanitarian dimensions of Artsakh Armenians’ right of return, ANCA Policy Director Alex Galitsky moderated a robust question and answer session.
“A real peace, one that endures, cannot be forced upon Armenia at the point of a gun – at the expense of human rights, international law, and the indigenous Armenian population of Artsakh,” stated Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA. “The terms of the fake peace currently being pushed on Yerevan – little more than terms of unilateral Armenian surrender demanded by a genocidal Azerbaijan under threat of renewed attacks – must be rejected, and a new peace forged – one ensures the safe return of Artsakh’s indigenous Armenians to their homeland.”
The Congressional briefing was live webcast on ANCA and CSI social media channels and is available here:
https://www.youtube.com/live/
The Swiss Peace Initiative: From Promise to Platform
The Swiss Peace Initiative fro Nagorno-Karabakh was launched in early 2025 following the bipartisan adoption of Motion 24.4259 by both chambers of the Swiss Federal Assembly. The measure directs the Swiss government to convene an international forum for dialogue between Azerbaijani officials and representatives of the forcibly displaced population of Artsakh. The initiative is grounded in Switzerland’s longstanding role as a neutral facilitator of peace processes.
Genocidal Ethnic Cleansing and International Response
In 2023, Azerbaijan imposed a ten-month blockade on Nagorno-Karabakh, cutting off food, medicine, and humanitarian aid before launching a military assault in September that displaced over 120,000 Armenian civilians. The operation was widely condemned as an act of ethnic cleansing and genocide. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a binding order in November 2023 requiring Azerbaijan to guarantee the right of safe and unhindered return, while the European Parliament and Swiss lawmakers have passed measures affirming this legal and moral obligation.
Erich Vontobel: A Promise Made in Armenia
Swiss MP Erich Vontobel, the founding co-chair of the forum, recounted the origins of the Swiss peace initiative as a personal commitment he made to Artsakh refugees he met during a 2024 visit to Armenia. “One woman showed me a video of her former house — now occupied by another family. That sight broke my heart. That’s when I knew: I must and want to act. I promised her — and the refugees — that I would.”
Vontobel emphasized the neutral and inclusive nature of the proposed forum: “The Swiss Peace Initiative offers the U.S. a chance to support peace — without taking on direct risk. We in Switzerland are neutral and have the necessary expertise and credibility to organize this peace forum. What we need now is broad international support — above all, from the United States.”
Lukas Reimann: Legal Mandate for Justice
Swiss MP Lukas Reimann, a leading member of the parliamentary initiative, stressed that Azerbaijan’s actions violate binding international law and humanitarian norms. “The expulsion of the Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians is a serious violation of international humanitarian law. The Swiss Foreign Ministry explicitly lists ‘attacks against the civilian population’ and the ‘unlawful expulsion of the civilian population’ as war crimes on its website on international humanitarian law.”
He emphasized the key role the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) can play, noting that Switzerland will chair the body in 2026: “The United States can help revitalize the [OSCE] Minsk Group and ensure that it contributes to the return of the forcibly displaced persons to their homeland. That’s what is required for a lasting peace,” stated Reimann.
Dr. John Eibner: Reversing Ethno-Religious Cleansing
Dr. John Eibner, President of Christian Solidarity International (CSI), described the ethnic cleansing as the culmination of deliberate policies to starve and terrorize a civilian population. “Azerbaijan launched a military assault as the climax of a nine-month military blockade the aim of which was to weaken the civilian population by starvation. The result was the ethno-religious cleansing of Armenian Christians from their historic homeland.”
Eibner called on U.S. policymakers to act: “The Swiss Peace Initiative for Nagorno Karabakh offers exceptional possibilities for the United States to make good on President Trump’s pledge and thereby contribute to a durable peace… It is also an opportunity for the United States to help reverse the ethno-religious cleansing of one of the world’s oldest Christian communities and halt the erosion of the region’s religious pluralism.”
Vartan Oskanian: The Right of Return is Law
Former Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian, now coordinator of the Committee for the Defense of the Fundamental Rights of the People of Nagorno Karabakh, argued that the international community must uphold the International Court of Justice’s ruling and press for return conditions rooted in rights and protections. “These are not merely local or ethnic grievances; they represent a direct challenge to international norms and the credibility of Western commitments to human rights and the rule of law.”
He stressed the value of the Swiss process: “The Swiss forum is not about taking sides. It is not about granting legitimacy to one party over the other. It is about making space—a neutral, principled space—where silenced voices can be heard. Where both Azerbaijan and the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh can sit together and find a way forward.”
In his opening remarks, Mark Milosch, Republican Staff Director for Congressman Chris Smith, noted that the Congressman held four hearings on Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing. He stressed Rep. Smith’s longstanding belief that “the ethnic Armenians have a human right to live in this land where Armenians have lived now for thousands of years. Nothing can ever take that away.”
The ANCA’s Alex Galitsky noted the urgent need for U.S. support for the Swiss Peace Initiative, particularly in the face of Azerbaijan’s ongoing campaign to erase Armenian heritage and prevent the displaced population from returning. He encouraged Members of Congress to cosign a Congressional letter, led by the Congressional Armenian Caucus and backed by the ANCA, supporting Artsakh Armenians’ right to return, citing support for the Swiss Peace Initiative.
The Swiss-led delegation of Vontobel, Reimann, Eibner, and Oskanian arrived in Washington DC earlier this week for a series of high level meetings with State Department and Congressional leaders and human rights advocates, in addition to the Congressional briefing.
To learn more about the Swiss Peace Initiative and take action, visit: www.swisspeacekarabakh.com/en
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The full video of the Capitol Hill Briefing: Swiss Peace Initiative for Nagorno-Karabakh is available on the ANCA YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/live/
Statements by Capitol Hill Briefing participants:
Dr. John Eibner, President, Christian Solidarity International
https://anca.org/assets/pdf/
Vartan Oskanian: coordinator of the Committee for the Defense of the Fundamental Rights of the People of Nagorno-Karabakh
https://anca.org/assets/pdf/
Lukas Reimann, Swiss MP:
https://anca.org/assets/pdf/
Erich Vontobel, Swiss MP:
https://anca.org/assets/pdf/
Bios of the Capitol Hill Briefing: Swiss Peace Initiative for Nagorno-Karabakh
https://anca.org/assets/pdf/
Photos are available at:
https://drive.google.com/
Members of Swiss-led delegation answering questions following the Congressional briefing (from l to r): Vartan Oskanian, former Armenia foreign minister; Lukas Reimann, Swiss MP; Erich Vontobel, Swiss MP; and Dr. John Eibner, President of Christian Solidarity International.
