Artsakh Rights Committee Raises Return and Urgent Humanitarian Issues During Switzerland Visit
04 May 2026
From April 29 to May 1, the Committee for the Protection of the Fundamental Rights of the People of Artsakh, together with a delegation led by Artsakh National Assembly President Ashot Danielyan, was on a working visit to Switzerland. Meetings with international humanitarian organizations focused on ensuring the collective right of return of Artsakh Armenians and addressing the regional humanitarian crisis. In particular, discussions covered the urgent need for the immediate release of Armenian prisoners of war and detainees unlawfully held in Azerbaijan, clarification of the fate of missing persons, and preventing the ongoing destruction and vandalism of Artsakh’s spiritual and cultural heritage.
On April 30, an event dedicated to Artsakh was held in the Swiss Federal Parliament with the participation of Swiss parliamentarians, experts, representatives of the Armenian community, and members of the organization Christian Solidarity International. Opening remarks were delivered by co-chairs of the “Swiss Peace Initiative for Nagorno-Karabakh,” Members of Parliament Erich Fontobel and Stefan Müller-Altermatt. Strongly condemning the international community’s inaction during the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh Armenians, Fontobel emphasized: “Switzerland has the necessary expertise, traditions, and trust to make such a peace process possible, and it is our responsibility to undertake it.”
On the Armenian side, remarks were delivered by Ashot Danielyan, former Minister of Culture Lernik Hovhannisyan, as well as committee members Armine Aleksanyan, Garnik Kerkonyan, and Mario Nalbandian. Members of the delegation presented the current situation of Artsakh Armenians, emphasizing the vital importance of their collective and dignified return to their homeland.
Summarizing the visit, the Armenian delegation reaffirmed a unified position: the issue of Artsakh is not closed and cannot be removed from the international agenda until Artsakh Armenians return to their homeland and the conflict receives a just resolution based on international law.
