Azerbaijani top cleric protests World Council of Churches' pro-Armenian stance

Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Office (CMO), Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazada, has sent a letter of protest to the Secretary General of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Jerry Pillay.

The letter expresses dissatisfaction with the Secretary General's one-sided statements, which were made under the clear influence of the Armenian side, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

Pashazada noted that such remarks damage the WCC’s peacemaking image and fair stance, and undermine the foundations of interfaith dialogue.

The head of the CMO recalled the WCC's previous peacebuilding role during the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict and called on the organisation to return to a fair and objective approach.

“I am confident that if you, as the head of the WCC, had familiarised yourself with reports by international organisations and statements from international observers, your remarks would have been objective and just, and pleasing to the Almighty Creator. We are concerned that the World Council of Churches, which in 1993 played an important role in the peaceful resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict and confirmed that its causes were not of a religious nature, is now taking a pro-Armenian stance with a Christian bias. Your statements, clearly influenced by the Armenian side, harm the peacebuilding credibility and fair position of the World Council of Churches. This casts a shadow over the WCC's work in interfaith cooperation and delivers an irreparable blow to the cause of interreligious dialogue,” the letter by Sheikh-ul-Islam states.

It further emphasises that the Armenian Church, by promoting revanchism and inciting the violation of a fragile peace, is dragging the Armenian people into new dangers.

For the record, during a conference held on May 27–28 in Bern, WCC Secretary General Jerry Pillay made a statement claiming that in 2023, while near the Lachin corridor, he allegedly “...witnessed both physical wounds and the suffering of people cut off from their roots.”

By Khagan Isayev